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Novartis (NVS) Stock Moves -0.2%: What You Should Know

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Novartis (NVS - Free Report) closed at $97.89 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.2% move from the prior day. This change was narrower than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.7%. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.57%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.06%.

Heading into today, shares of the drugmaker had lost 4.81% over the past month, lagging the Medical sector's gain of 0.86% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.58% in that time.

Investors will be hoping for strength from Novartis as it approaches its next earnings release. On that day, Novartis is projected to report earnings of $1.78 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 12.66%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $13.6 billion, up 8.42% from the year-ago period.

For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $6.93 per share and revenue of $54.02 billion, which would represent changes of +13.61% and +6.87%, respectively, from the prior year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Novartis should also be noted by investors. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.17% higher. Novartis is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

Digging into valuation, Novartis currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 14.15. This represents a no noticeable deviation compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 14.15.

Meanwhile, NVS's PEG ratio is currently 1.56. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. Large Cap Pharmaceuticals stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.58 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 184, which puts it in the bottom 27% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow NVS in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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