Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) shares gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $475.76, but opened at $506.79. Nova shares last traded at $509.9260, with a volume of 42,214 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NVMI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Nova from $465.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Nova from $520.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of Nova from $500.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Nova from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $494.00 price target on shares of Nova in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $518.22.

Nova Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average is $497.75 and its 200-day moving average is $432.24. The firm has a market cap of $16.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.75.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The semiconductor company reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.13. Nova had a net margin of 29.21% and a return on equity of 21.77%. The firm had revenue of $235.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $227.02 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.18 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Nova has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.340-2.480 EPS. Analysts predict that Nova Ltd. will post 9.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Nova news, Director Yaniv Garty sold 426 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.49, for a total transaction of $219,172.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,038 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,048,530.62. This trade represents a 17.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Eitan Oppenhaim sold 1,504 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $519.48, for a total transaction of $781,297.92. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,668 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,463,892.64. The trade was a 18.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,411 shares of company stock worth $1,243,018. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVMI. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nova in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nova in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Nova by 75.7% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 130 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of Nova by 2,042.9% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Nova by 51.6% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 376 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.99% of the company’s stock.

About Nova

Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd (NASDAQ: NVMI) develops and supplies advanced metrology and process control systems for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. The company’s core product line includes spectroscopic ellipsometry and scatterometry tools designed to measure film thickness, critical dimensions, overlay alignment and other key parameters that drive yield and performance in integrated circuit fabrication.

Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Rehovot, Israel, Nova Measuring Instruments has established itself as a critical partner to leading semiconductor foundries and device manufacturers.