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

Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI)’s stock price 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 trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on NVMI shares. Barclays lifted their price objective 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. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of Nova in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Nova from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $494.00 price objective on shares of Nova in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Nova presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $518.22.

Nova Trading Up 10.1%

The firm has a market cap of $16.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.75. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $497.75 and its 200-day moving average is $432.24.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The semiconductor company reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $235.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $227.02 million. Nova had a net margin of 29.21% and a return on equity of 21.77%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Analysts forecast that Nova Ltd. will post 9.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Nova news, Director Sarit Sagiv sold 426 shares of Nova stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 2,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,253,812.13. The trade was a 14.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Yaniv Garty sold 426 shares of Nova stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 2,038 shares in the company, valued at $1,048,530.62. This represents a 17.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 2,411 shares of company stock valued at $1,243,018 in the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nova

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Investment Advisors MI purchased a new position in Nova during the 1st quarter worth $109,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd boosted its holdings in Nova by 87.7% during the 1st quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 21,351 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,151,000 after acquiring an additional 9,974 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in Nova by 139.0% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 54,473 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $23,657,000 after acquiring an additional 31,678 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Nova by 35.4% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 379 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $165,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nova in the 1st quarter worth about $356,000. 82.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.