Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $119.75.

NVS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Novartis from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Cfra set a $126.00 price objective on Novartis and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. HC Wainwright lowered Novartis to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Cfra Research upgraded shares of Novartis to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th.

Institutional Trading of Novartis

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. GFG Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. bought a new stake in Novartis in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Novartis in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE NVS opened at $149.83 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $139.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.20. Novartis has a 52-week low of $97.71 and a 52-week high of $152.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $316.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.50.

Novartis Company Profile

Novartis is a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Basel that researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines and related health-care products. Formed through the 1996 merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz, Novartis operates globally and focuses on bringing therapeutics from discovery through clinical development to commercial markets worldwide.

The company’s activities center on innovative pharmaceuticals across several therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neuroscience and ophthalmology, alongside capabilities in advanced therapies such as biologics, cell and gene therapies.