Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 74,642 Shares of Nova Ltd. $NVMI

Franklin Resources Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) by 12.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 522,377 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 74,642 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Nova were worth $171,548,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Nova by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 280 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Nova by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 992 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Nova by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 347 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in Nova by 75.7% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 130 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Nova by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 815 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. 82.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Nova Stock Up 1.3%

NVMI opened at $514.49 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 64.15, a PEG ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 1.75. Nova Ltd. has a 52 week low of $217.50 and a 52 week high of $565.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $500.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $435.41.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The semiconductor company reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $235.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $227.02 million. Nova had a return on equity of 21.77% and a net margin of 29.21%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.18 earnings per share. Nova has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.340-2.480 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Nova Ltd. will post 9.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Eitan Oppenhaim sold 1,504 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $519.48, for a total transaction of $781,297.92. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,463,892.64. This trade represents a 18.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Yaniv Garty sold 426 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.49, for a total transaction of $219,172.74. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,038 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,048,530.62. This represents a 17.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,411 shares of company stock worth $1,243,018. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on NVMI shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Nova from $520.00 to $595.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Barclays raised 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. Zacks Research cut shares of Nova from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Nova from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Nova from $520.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $518.22.

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.