Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

Shares of Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) gapped up before the market opened 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on NVMI shares. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on shares of Nova from $500.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Nova from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $494.00 price target on shares of Nova in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Nova from $465.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Nova from $520.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $518.22.

Nova Price Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $500.32 and its 200 day moving average is $435.41. The company has a market capitalization of $16.35 billion, a PE ratio of 64.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 1.75.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The semiconductor company reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.13. Nova had a net margin of 29.21% and a return on equity of 21.77%. The company 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 firm 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. As a group, analysts predict that Nova Ltd. will post 9.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Yaniv Garty 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 value of $219,172.74. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,048,530.62. The trade was a 17.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Eitan Oppenhaim sold 1,504 shares of Nova stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $519.48, for a total transaction of $781,297.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,463,892.64. The trade was a 18.40% 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 a total of 2,411 shares of company stock valued at $1,243,018 over the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Nova

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVMI. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Nova in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Nova in the third quarter valued at $40,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Nova by 75.7% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 130 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in Nova by 2,042.9% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Nova by 51.6% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 376 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.99% of the company’s stock.

About Nova

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.