Novartis (NVS) Projected to Post Quarterly Earnings on Tuesday

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) is anticipated to post its quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Tuesday, April 22nd. Analysts expect Novartis to post earnings of $2.07 per share and revenue of $12.92 billion for the quarter.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. On average, analysts expect Novartis to post $8 EPS for the current fiscal year and $9 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Novartis Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE:NVS opened at $109.43 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $108.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.33. The company has a market cap of $223.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. Novartis has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is 42.69%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Novartis stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 76.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,153 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,666 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $599,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

About Novartis

Novartis AG engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It focuses on therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as ophthalmology and hematology.