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

Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock had previously closed at $466.63, but opened at $435.70. Nova shares last traded at $442.0210, with a volume of 71,453 shares traded.

Specifically, CEO Gabriel Waisman sold 2,966 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.30, for a total transaction of $1,486,855.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 28,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,394,328.20. The trade was a 9.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVMI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Nova from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Nova from $520.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research cut shares of Nova from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Nova from $520.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Nova from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nova presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $551.25.

Nova Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $518.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $464.75. The company has a market cap of $13.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 1.74.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) last issued 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 return on equity of 21.77% and a net margin of 29.21%.The business 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 firm earned $2.18 earnings per share. Nova’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, sell-side analysts forecast that Nova Ltd. will post 9.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nova

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Nova in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Nova in the third quarter worth $40,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position 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 valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Nova by 51.6% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 376 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.