Squarepoint Ops LLC Has $813,000 Position in Nova Ltd. $NVMI

Squarepoint Ops LLC cut its position in Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) by 52.7% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,954 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 3,296 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC’s holdings in Nova were worth $813,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Nova by 13.1% in the second quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 1,437,657 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $395,643,000 after acquiring an additional 166,672 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Nova by 69.2% in the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 359,221 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $98,857,000 after purchasing an additional 146,932 shares in the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. boosted its holdings in Nova by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 1,342,169 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $369,365,000 after purchasing an additional 129,684 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Nova by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,200,948 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $605,701,000 after purchasing an additional 102,250 shares during the period. Finally, Noked Israel Ltd grew its position in shares of Nova by 120.5% during the 2nd quarter. Noked Israel Ltd now owns 181,057 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $49,827,000 after purchasing an additional 98,957 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.99% of the company’s stock.

Nova Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of NVMI stock opened at $332.52 on Tuesday. Nova Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $153.99 and a fifty-two week high of $361.32. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $319.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $289.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 4.00 and a current ratio of 4.58. The company has a market cap of $9.78 billion, a PE ratio of 43.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.84.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NVMI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Nova in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Nova from $290.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Benchmark increased their target price on Nova from $280.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Nova in a research report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $335.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Nova from $360.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.86.

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.