Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Novanta Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVT) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $176.38 and last traded at $163.32, with a volume of 1280933 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $153.12.

Key Headlines Impacting Novanta

Here are the key news stories impacting Novanta this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Novanta reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $0.89 per share, exceeding the $0.83 analyst consensus and rising from $0.76 in the year-ago quarter. Revenue increased 10.3% year over year to $265.8 million, also topping expectations of $262.3 million. Novanta Tops Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised or reaffirmed an upbeat outlook for the remainder of the year. Third-quarter EPS guidance of $0.95 to $1.00 is above the $0.94 consensus, while full-year EPS guidance of $3.68 to $3.74 exceeds the $3.59 analyst forecast. Novanta Announces Second-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue guidance of approximately $300 million to $304 million is substantially above the cited consensus estimate of $263.1 million, signaling strong expected growth and improving operating momentum. Novanta Q2 Earnings Snapshot
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s earnings call provided additional context on the quarterly performance and outlook, reinforcing investor confidence in Novanta’s growth trajectory. Novanta Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the positive guidance, NOVT trades at a relatively high valuation, with a P/E ratio near 44, leaving the stock sensitive to any slowdown in growth or future guidance disappointments.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on NOVT shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Novanta from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Robert W. Baird set a $180.00 target price on shares of Novanta in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Novanta in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $180.00.

Novanta Trading Up 6.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 2.69, a current ratio of 3.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $153.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $141.42. The company has a market cap of $6.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 104.69 and a beta of 1.68.

Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The technology company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.06. Novanta had a net margin of 6.00% and a return on equity of 11.96%. The business had revenue of $265.81 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $262.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.76 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Novanta has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.680-3.740 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.950-1.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Novanta Inc. will post 3.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Novanta news, CEO Matthijs Glastra sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.43, for a total value of $1,128,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 42,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,432,537.23. This trade represents a 14.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novanta

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in Novanta in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Novanta by 978.4% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 399 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Novanta by 120.1% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in Novanta in the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novanta in the second quarter valued at $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.35% of the company’s stock.

About Novanta

Novanta, Inc (NASDAQ: NOVT) is a global technology company that designs and manufactures precision components, subsystems and software used in advanced photonics and motion control applications. The company serves customers in the medical device and advanced industrial markets, supplying critical technologies for diagnostics and therapeutic systems, semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, and scientific instrumentation. Novanta’s product portfolio includes laser control modules, optics, beam delivery systems, high-precision motors, actuators, stages, and fluidics solutions designed to meet stringent accuracy and reliability requirements.

Novanta’s Photonics segment delivers laser and energy delivery components that enable minimally invasive surgical procedures and diagnostic imaging.