Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) Issues Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) issued an update on its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.950-1.000 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 0.940. The company issued revenue guidance of $300.0 million-$304.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $263.1 million. Novanta also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 3.680-3.740 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Novanta in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird set a $180.00 price target on shares of Novanta in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Novanta from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $180.00.

Novanta Price Performance

Novanta stock opened at $153.12 on Thursday. Novanta has a 52 week low of $98.27 and a 52 week high of $171.85. The company has a quick ratio of 2.69, a current ratio of 3.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a market cap of $5.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 110.96 and a beta of 1.68. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $153.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $141.21.

Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The technology company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $265.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $262.30 million. Novanta had a net margin of 5.35% and a return on equity of 12.06%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.76 earnings per share. Novanta has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.680-3.740 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.950-1.000 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Novanta will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Matthijs Glastra sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.43, for a total value of $1,128,225.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 42,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,432,537.23. This represents a 14.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Novanta

Here are the key news stories impacting Novanta this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Novanta reported adjusted earnings of $0.89 per share, above the $0.83 analyst consensus and up from $0.76 a year earlier. Revenue increased 10.3% year over year to $265.8 million, exceeding estimates of $262.3 million. Novanta Q2 Earnings Snapshot
• Positive Sentiment: Management issued third-quarter adjusted EPS guidance of $0.95 to $1.00, above the $0.94 consensus, and revenue guidance of approximately $300 million to $304 million, well above the $263.1 million estimate. Novanta Announces Financial Results for the Second Quarter 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance was raised or reaffirmed at $3.68 to $3.74, ahead of the $3.59 consensus. The results point to continued growth and stronger near-term operating momentum. Novanta Tops Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s earnings release was the main catalyst, while pre-earnings coverage focused on whether Novanta could meet elevated expectations. Novanta Reports Earnings Tomorrow
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the strong report, NOVT traded lower. Its valuation—approximately 111 times earnings—may have encouraged profit-taking or disappointed investors seeking an even larger upside surprise. The available reports do not identify a specific operational setback.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOVT. State Street Corp grew its position in Novanta by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,319,474 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $157,004,000 after purchasing an additional 13,603 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Novanta by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 1,100,029 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $141,827,000 after buying an additional 104,985 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Novanta by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 781,562 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $92,998,000 after acquiring an additional 28,451 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its holdings in shares of Novanta by 206.1% in the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 600,146 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $72,540,000 after acquiring an additional 404,097 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Novanta by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 597,921 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $71,149,000 after acquiring an additional 2,985 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.35% of the company’s stock.

About Novanta

Novanta, Inc (NASDAQ: NOVT) is a global technology company that designs and manufactures precision components, subsystems and software used in advanced photonics and motion control applications. The company serves customers in the medical device and advanced industrial markets, supplying critical technologies for diagnostics and therapeutic systems, semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, and scientific instrumentation. Novanta’s product portfolio includes laser control modules, optics, beam delivery systems, high-precision motors, actuators, stages, and fluidics solutions designed to meet stringent accuracy and reliability requirements.

Novanta’s Photonics segment delivers laser and energy delivery components that enable minimally invasive surgical procedures and diagnostic imaging.