Novartis AG is a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland. Novartis was formed in 1996 from a merger of the two Basel pharmaceutical and chemical companies Ciba-Geigy AG and Sandoz AG. Novartis is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world with sales of USD 47.4 billion in 2019.
According to Novartis's latest financial reports and stock price the company's current price-to-earnings ratio (TTM) is 25.984. At the end of 2022 the company had a P/E ratio of 28.4.
The Price/Earnings ratio measures the relationship between a company's stock price and its earnings per share. A low but positive P/E ratio stands for a company that is generating high earnings compared to its current valuation and might be undervalued. A company with a high negative (near 0) P/E ratio stands for a company that is generating heavy losses compared to its current valuation.
Companies with a P/E ratio over 30 or a negative one are generaly seen as "growth stocks" meaning that investors typically expect the company to grow or to become profitable in the future. Companies with a positive P/E ratio bellow 10 are generally seen as "value stocks" meaning that the company is already very profitable and unlikely to strong growth in the future.