Onto Innovation (NYSE:ONTO) Sets New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

Onto Innovation Inc. (NYSE:ONTO)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday after Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on the stock from $260.00 to $275.00. Needham & Company LLC currently has a buy rating on the stock. Onto Innovation traded as high as $232.49 and last traded at $217.6740, with a volume of 342774 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $225.33.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on ONTO. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Onto Innovation from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Zacks Research raised Onto Innovation from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 31st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Onto Innovation from $180.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Onto Innovation from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $170.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Onto Innovation in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Onto Innovation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $237.50.

Key Headlines Impacting Onto Innovation

Here are the key news stories impacting Onto Innovation this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Needham raises price target to $275 and reiterates a Buy, implying ~22% upside versus the prior price — a bullish analyst vote that can support further upside. Needham Price Target Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Company reports record 2025 revenue, closed the Semilab product‑line acquisition, shipped next‑gen Dragonfly systems and secured a large HBM agreement (reported ~$240M), supporting longer‑term revenue and AI inspection demand. BusinessWire Release
• Positive Sentiment: Management projects >30% growth in advanced packaging revenue in 2026 and cites a record backlog driven by AI-related inspection and packaging demand — a demand narrative that supports multiple quarters of higher revenue. MSN Article
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 2026 guidance: EPS $1.260–1.360 and revenue $275M–$285M — revenue guidance is above consensus, signaling continued top‑line momentum even as EPS guidance is roughly in line; company flagged margin recovery in Q1 commentary. Zacks Guidance Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel raised its target from $180 to $215 but kept a Hold rating (target still slightly below recent levels), a mixed signal that tempers some upside expectations. Benzinga: Stifel Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre/post‑earnings analyst commentary highlights Semilab payoff and AI tailwinds; these narrative pieces support momentum interest but are not firm catalysts on their own. Investing.com Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS missed by $0.02 (reported $1.26 vs. $1.28 consensus) and EPS declined versus prior year ($1.51), a small near‑term disappointment that could pressure sentiment if execution or margins weaken. Zacks Earnings Miss

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ONTO. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Onto Innovation by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 198 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its position in Onto Innovation by 71.2% in the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 178 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Onto Innovation by 188.5% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 176 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Onto Innovation by 2,061.5% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 281 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Onto Innovation in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.35% of the company’s stock.

Onto Innovation Stock Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $191.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $148.64. The company has a market capitalization of $10.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.50.

Onto Innovation (NYSE:ONTO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The semiconductor company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $266.87 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $265.78 million. Onto Innovation had a return on equity of 13.11% and a net margin of 17.46%.Onto Innovation’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.51 EPS. Onto Innovation has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.260-1.360 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Onto Innovation Inc. will post 6.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Onto Innovation Company Profile

Onto Innovation (NYSE:ONTO) is a global supplier of advanced process control and inspection systems for semiconductor and electronics manufacturers. The company’s solutions span metrology, inspection, defect review and lithography mask repair, helping customers optimize yield, reduce costs and improve device performance. By integrating high-resolution optical and e-beam tools with sophisticated software analytics, Onto Innovation enables wafer, mask and advanced packaging producers to maintain tight process control across leading-edge nodes and specialty applications.

Key products include high-throughput wafer metrology systems, optical and e-beam defect inspection platforms, mask inspection and repair tools, and data-driven software for yield management and process optimization.