Zacks Research Brokers Lower Earnings Estimates for Novartis

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) – Analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Novartis in a report released on Tuesday, March 24th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will earn $2.11 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $2.17. The consensus estimate for Novartis’ current full-year earnings is $8.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Novartis’ Q3 2026 earnings at $2.28 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $8.85 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $10.92 EPS.

NVS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. HSBC restated a “reduce” rating and issued a $112.00 target price on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Novartis from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Argus upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Novartis to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $131.80.

Novartis Trading Up 1.4%

Novartis stock opened at $150.69 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $155.68 and its 200-day moving average is $139.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.12. Novartis has a 1 year low of $97.71 and a 1 year high of $170.46. The company has a market cap of $318.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.05, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.49.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter worth about $82,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in Novartis by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 108,205 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,918,000 after buying an additional 5,526 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors raised its position in shares of Novartis by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 50,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,923,000 after buying an additional 5,719 shares in the last quarter. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Larry Mathis Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $787,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th were given a $4.773 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a yield of 306.0%. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.02%.

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.