GW&K Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Position in Novanta Inc. $NOVT

GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novanta Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVT) by 187.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 736,954 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 480,413 shares during the quarter. Novanta comprises approximately 0.8% of GW&K Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. GW&K Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Novanta were worth $87,691,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOVT. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Novanta by 75.9% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,399,462 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $155,536,000 after buying an additional 604,055 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Novanta in the 4th quarter worth about $50,719,000. Bamco Inc. NY raised its holdings in shares of Novanta by 101.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 627,093 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $62,803,000 after purchasing an additional 315,978 shares during the period. American Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Novanta in the 3rd quarter valued at about $21,919,000. Finally, UBS Group AG lifted its stake in shares of Novanta by 949.1% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 213,868 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $21,419,000 after purchasing an additional 193,482 shares in the last quarter. 98.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novanta Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of NOVT opened at $160.65 on Wednesday. Novanta Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.27 and a 12 month high of $171.85. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $140.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $131.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 3.56 and a quick ratio of 2.69. The stock has a market cap of $5.72 billion, a PE ratio of 116.41 and a beta of 1.68.

Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The technology company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $257.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $253.40 million. Novanta had a return on equity of 12.06% and a net margin of 5.35%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.74 earnings per share. Novanta has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.500-3.650 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.810-0.860 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Novanta Inc. will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOVT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Novanta from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Novanta in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Novanta in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $180.00.

Insider Activity at Novanta

In other news, CFO Robert Buckley sold 9,957 shares of Novanta stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.77, for a total transaction of $1,162,678.89. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 96,616 shares in the company, valued at $11,281,850.32. This trade represents a 9.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Matthijs Glastra sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.43, for a total transaction of $1,128,225.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 42,761 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,432,537.23. The trade was a 14.92% 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 sold 23,957 shares of company stock valued at $3,136,229 in the last ninety days. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Novanta Profile

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.