Zacks Research Has Bearish Estimate for Novartis Q1 Earnings

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Novartis in a report issued on Wednesday, January 15th. Zacks Research analyst E. Bagri now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $2.07 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $2.09. The consensus estimate for Novartis’ current full-year earnings is $7.63 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Novartis’ Q2 2026 earnings at $2.25 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $8.96 EPS.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. Novartis had a return on equity of 34.80% and a net margin of 35.96%. The business had revenue of $12.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.74 EPS.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $121.50.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $99.69 on Monday. 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 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $100.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $108.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $203.76 billion, a PE ratio of 11.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.57.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in Novartis by 503.8% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Clean Yield Group bought a new position in Novartis in the third quarter valued at about $43,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Novartis by 782.0% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 696 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

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.