Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) Shares Up 7.5% After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) were up 7.5% on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $546.98 and last traded at $541.3340. Approximately 89,954 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 381,058 shares. The stock had previously closed at $503.65.

The semiconductor company reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $235.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $227.02 million. Nova had a net margin of 29.44% and a return on equity of 22.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.18 EPS. Nova has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.340-2.480 EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on NVMI. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Nova in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $485.00 price objective on shares of Nova in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $453.00 price objective on shares of Nova in a report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays began coverage on Nova in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $465.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Nova from $370.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $442.25.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. increased its position in shares of Nova by 47.5% in the first quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 2,166,073 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $940,683,000 after purchasing an additional 697,210 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Nova by 185.4% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 607,344 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $194,144,000 after purchasing an additional 394,544 shares during the last quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. grew its stake in Nova by 286.3% in the 4th quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 508,641 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $167,115,000 after buying an additional 376,974 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Nova in the 4th quarter worth approximately $109,568,000. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment bought a new position in shares of Nova in the 3rd quarter worth $79,915,000. Institutional investors own 82.99% of the company’s stock.

Nova Stock Up 8.3%

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $477.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $410.61. The company has a current ratio of 6.28, a quick ratio of 5.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market cap of $17.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 1.78.

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.