Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) Hits New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Shares of Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $565.00 and last traded at $565.4930, with a volume of 28749 shares. The stock had previously closed at $559.62.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Nova from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Citigroup upped their price target on Nova from $520.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $600.00 price target on shares of Nova in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley set a $494.00 price objective on shares of Nova in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Nova from $520.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $518.22.

Nova Trading Up 1.6%

The company has a market cap of $18.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 70.76, a PEG ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 1.75. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $504.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $439.01.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Sarit Sagiv sold 426 shares of Nova stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.49, for a total transaction of $219,172.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,253,812.13. The trade was a 14.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Yaniv Garty sold 426 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.49, for a total value of $219,172.74. Following the completion of the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,411 shares of company stock valued at $1,243,018. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Nova

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NVMI. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Nova during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nova in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in Nova by 75.7% during the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 130 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Nova by 51.6% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 376 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.99% of the company’s stock.

Nova Company Profile

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.