Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New Investment in Nova Ltd. $NVMI

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 2,328 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $765,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in Nova during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in Nova by 75.7% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 130 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in Nova by 2,042.9% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Nova by 51.6% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 376 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Nova by 62.5% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 260 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 82.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on NVMI. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $600.00 target price on shares of Nova in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup raised their target price on Nova from $520.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Nova from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley set a $494.00 target price on Nova in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on Nova from $500.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Nine research 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $518.22.

Nova Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NVMI opened at $502.33 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $15.96 billion, a PE ratio of 62.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.78. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $494.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $424.20. Nova Ltd. has a 12-month low of $205.37 and a 12-month high of $565.00.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The semiconductor company reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $235.31 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $227.02 million. Nova had a return on equity of 21.77% and a net margin of 29.21%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.18 EPS. Nova has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.340-2.480 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Nova Ltd. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Sarit Sagiv sold 426 shares of Nova stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.49, for a total transaction of $219,172.74. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,253,812.13. This trade represents a 14.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.49, for a total value of $219,172.74. Following the sale, the director owned 2,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,048,530.62. This trade represents a 17.29% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,411 shares of company stock worth $1,243,018. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.