What is Zacks Research’s Estimate for Novartis Q1 Earnings?

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Novartis in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will earn $2.17 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.26. The consensus estimate for Novartis’ current full-year earnings is $8.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Novartis’ Q2 2026 earnings at $2.37 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.08 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $8.86 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.44 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $9.77 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $10.94 EPS.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $13.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.85 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 40.53% and a net margin of 25.65%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.98 earnings per share.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on NVS. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. HSBC reissued a “reduce” rating and set a $112.00 price target on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays raised Novartis from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Novartis from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $119.75.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $162.76 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Novartis has a 52-week low of $97.71 and a 52-week high of $167.86. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $146.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $133.97. The company has a market capitalization of $343.81 billion, a PE ratio of 22.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,876,906 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,223,860,000 after acquiring an additional 1,148,033 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC increased its holdings in Novartis by 39.6% in the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 3,158,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $435,414,000 after purchasing an additional 895,255 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at about $108,638,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 77.7% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,648,174 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,362,000 after purchasing an additional 720,860 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 116.0% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 960,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,446,000 after buying an additional 515,999 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be given a $4.773 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 312.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 11th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.31%.

Novartis News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: President Trump said he met Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan and highlighted the company is building 11 U.S. manufacturing plants — a signal of stronger U.S. production footprint, potential government support and on‑shoring that can reduce supply risk and support future sales. Trump meets Novartis CEO, says drugmaker building 11 US plants
• Positive Sentiment: Novartis is making a major R&D/portfolio bet — a $1.8 billion investment in oral peptide programs — which could expand its pipeline into high‑value modalities if clinical progress continues. This is growth‑oriented spending that investors may view positively for long‑term upside. Novartis Makes $1.8 Billion Bet On Oral Peptides
• Neutral Sentiment: Novartis agreed to sell its ~70.7% holding in its listed Indian unit to a consortium (WaveRise, ChrysCapital, Two Infinity) for about $159M — a sizeable strategic divestment geographically but small relative to Novartis’ market cap; it reduces direct India exposure and will free up capital, though near‑term earnings impact is modest. Novartis to sell entire 71% stake in Indian unit to consortium of WaveRise Investments
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst revisions from Zacks are mixed but tilted downward overall: Zacks issued multiple cuts to quarterly and FY2026/2027 EPS estimates (several Q2/Q3 and FY reductions), which can pressure sentiment and imply lower near‑term earnings growth expectations. These downgrades are likely the primary short‑term negative driver.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary pieces (e.g., Yahoo Finance stock look) provide broader context but contain no single catalyst; useful for long‑term perspective but not a direct price driver today. Where is Novartis AG (NVS) Headed?

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.