Societe Generale reiterated their hold rating on shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) in a report released on Thursday.
NVS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Novartis AG from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a buy rating on shares of Novartis AG in a research note on Tuesday, September 13th. Argus restated a hold rating on shares of Novartis AG in a research note on Thursday, August 25th. Chardan Capital dropped their price target on shares of Novartis AG from $95.00 to $92.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 10th. Finally, Bank of America Corp. restated a hold rating on shares of Novartis AG in a research note on Tuesday, July 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $91.33.
Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) traded down 0.14% during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $71.51. 1,923,740 shares of the company were exchanged. The company has a market capitalization of $169.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.22 and a beta of 0.57. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $69.90 and a 12-month high of $91.50. The company’s 50-day moving average is $78.08 and its 200 day moving average is $79.04.
Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 25th. The company reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.04. Novartis AG had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 15.25%. The firm earned $12.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Novartis AG will post $4.76 EPS for the current year.
Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC boosted its stake in Novartis AG by 6.3% in the second quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 1,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Whitnell & Co. boosted its stake in Novartis AG by 14.6% in the second quarter. Whitnell & Co. now owns 1,410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Iowa State Bank bought a new stake in Novartis AG during the second quarter valued at approximately $122,000. M&R Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Novartis AG during the second quarter valued at approximately $122,000. Finally, WFG Advisors LP boosted its stake in Novartis AG by 8.9% in the second quarter. WFG Advisors LP now owns 1,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. 9.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Novartis AG Company Profile
Novartis AG is a holding company. The Company specializes in the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of a range of healthcare products led by pharmaceuticals, including eye care products. Its portfolio includes medicines, eye care and generic pharmaceuticals. The Company’s segments include Pharmaceuticals, Alcon and Sandoz.