Novartis FY2026 EPS Forecast Decreased by Erste Group Bank

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) – Stock analysts at Erste Group Bank reduced their FY2026 EPS estimates for Novartis in a research report issued on Thursday, August 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $8.95 for the year, down from their previous forecast of $9.01. The consensus estimate for Novartis’ current full-year earnings is $8.84 per share.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $2.41 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $14.95 billion for the quarter. Novartis had a return on equity of 38.56% and a net margin of 23.29%.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on NVS. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.20.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NVS opened at $161.17 on Monday. Novartis has a 1 year low of $121.57 and a 1 year high of $170.46. The firm has a market cap of $307.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.31, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $155.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Novartis by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 10,577 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Roundview Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 2,711 shares of the company’s stock worth $374,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. CPC Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 4.6% during the second quarter. CPC Advisors LLC now owns 1,516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. now owns 710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its position in Novartis by 4.2% during the second quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 1,802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $282,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. 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: Remibrutinib met the primary endpoints in two Phase 3 REMODEL trials, significantly reducing annualized relapse rates versus teriflunomide. Novartis also reported favorable results on MRI lesion measures and a combined analysis indicating a clinically meaningful delay in disability progression. Novartis’ oral multiple sclerosis drug meets main goal in late stage studies
• Positive Sentiment: The data strengthen the commercial outlook for remibrutinib in the large multiple sclerosis market, particularly because the drug demonstrated superiority to an established competitor. Novartis said it plans to present detailed results at a medical meeting and seek global regulatory approvals, providing a potential future growth driver as other products mature. Novartis Jumps 6% as MS Drug Meets Goals in Two Phase 3 Trials
• Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted no new liver-safety signal in the trials, easing a key potential concern for remibrutinib and supporting investor confidence in the drug’s approval prospects. Novartis claims MS win as Rhapsido clears phase 3
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy put-option activity accompanied the rally, with put volume roughly four times its average. This may indicate hedging or expectations for volatility rather than a clear directional signal. Analysts at Erste Group also made only a marginal reduction to their FY2027 EPS forecast, limiting its significance for the stock. Why Novartis Stock Is Heading for Its Best Day Since 2023
• Negative Sentiment: Novartis paused eight clinical trials of rap-cel, an experimental autoimmune and neurological cell therapy, after three patient deaths. The move creates safety, development and potential pipeline-value concerns, although investor attention remained centered on the stronger remibrutinib results. Novartis pauses autoimmune cell therapy studies after deaths

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.