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

Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Friday after an insider sold shares in the company. 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $581.20, for a total transaction of $212,719.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,165,887.20. This trade represents a 15.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Eitan Oppenhaim sold 1,290 shares of Nova stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $581.20, for a total value of $749,748.00. Following the sale, the director owned 6,421 shares in the company, valued at $3,731,885.20. The trade was a 16.73% 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. In related news, Director Sarit Sagiv sold 454 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $536.52, for a total value of $243,580.08. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,046,750.52. The trade was a 18.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NVMI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Nova in a report on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley set a $494.00 target price on shares of Nova in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Nova from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Needham & Company LLC raised 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. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Nova from $465.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $545.50.

Nova Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $522.74 and a 200-day 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The semiconductor company reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $235.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $227.02 million. Nova had a net margin of 29.21% and a return on equity of 21.77%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.18 earnings per share. Nova has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.340-2.480 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Nova Ltd. will post 9.44 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Nova

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Nova in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Nova during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted 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 worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Nova by 51.6% in 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. 82.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.