Wall Street Zen Downgrades Novartis (NYSE:NVS) to Hold

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

NVS has been the subject of several other research reports. Cfra set a $126.00 price target on Novartis and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Bank of America raised shares of Novartis from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Barclays raised Novartis from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $119.75.

Novartis Stock Up 1.6%

NVS stock opened at $156.41 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $140.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $130.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Novartis has a 12-month low of $97.71 and a 12-month high of $156.62. The company has a market cap of $330.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.85, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.50.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.04. Novartis had a return on equity of 40.53% and a net margin of 25.65%.The business had revenue of $524.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.98 earnings per share. Novartis’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Novartis will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 77.7% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,648,174 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,362,000 after buying an additional 720,860 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the third quarter valued at $64,563,000. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 85.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,045,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,035,000 after purchasing an additional 480,201 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 7,121,414 shares of the company’s stock valued at $861,762,000 after purchasing an additional 358,282 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 52.9% in the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 876,956 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,120,000 after purchasing an additional 303,553 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Novartis

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and 12‑month high — Novartis reported adjusted EPS of $2.03 vs. consensus $1.99 and the stock hit a new 12‑month high as investors took the beat and margin strength as a signal of underlying profitability. Novartis Reaches New 12-Month High Following Strong Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Record margins: management highlighted record core operating margins on the earnings call, helping offset topline softness and supporting EPS and free‑cash‑flow expectations. Novartis Earnings Call: Record Margins
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target moved higher — at least one published target was increased (~11%), reinforcing the bullish reaction from the Street. Price Target Increased
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns — Novartis declared an annual dividend of $4.773/share (record Mar 11, pay Mar 16), and commentary noted ongoing buybacks that support EPS and valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline and value thesis — analysts and investors point to a deep pipeline, upcoming clinical readouts and active buybacks as reasons Novartis may re‑rate from current multiples. Novartis: Value Price, Growth Pipeline
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcripts and slides available — full Q4 call transcript and the investor presentation provide detail on product trends, margin drivers and near‑term catalysts for modeling. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Q4 Results Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and generic pressure — Q4 revenue fell short as generic competition pressured Entresto and Promacta sales; revenue weakness is a near‑term headwind to top‑line growth expectations. Revenue Miss / Generic Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: ESG and sustainability risk flagged — Novartis disclosed new environmental/social risks that could affect reputation, financing or long‑term valuation if not addressed. ESG and Sustainability Risks

About Novartis

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.