Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) Shares Gap Down Following Insider Selling

Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Friday following insider selling activity. The stock had previously closed at $534.24, but opened at $505.42. Nova shares last traded at $496.9860, with a volume of 192,109 shares traded.

Specifically, Director Yaniv Garty sold 366 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $581.20, for a total value of $212,719.20. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,165,887.20. This represents a 15.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Eitan Oppenhaim sold 1,290 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $581.20, for a total value of $749,748.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,421 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,731,885.20. This trade represents a 16.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In other news, Director Sarit Sagiv sold 454 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $536.52, for a total transaction of $243,580.08. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,046,750.52. This represents a 18.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Nova from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Nova from $520.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of Nova in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Nova from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Nova from $465.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Nova currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $545.50.

Nova Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $522.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $456.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.11, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.75.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The semiconductor company reported $2.33 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $235.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $227.02 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.18 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Nova has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.340-2.480 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Nova Ltd. will post 9.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nova

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVMI. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nova in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nova during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in shares of Nova by 75.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in Nova by 2,042.9% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Nova by 51.6% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 376 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.99% of the company’s stock.

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.