Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) Shares Gap Up Following Strong Earnings

Novanta Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVT)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $142.38, but opened at $148.68. Novanta shares last traded at $143.7150, with a volume of 25,469 shares changing hands.

The technology company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $258.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $260.72 million. Novanta had a return on equity of 14.53% and a net margin of 5.50%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.76 EPS. Novanta has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.500-3.650 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.750-0.800 EPS.

More Novanta News

Here are the key news stories impacting Novanta this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and year-over-year revenue growth: Novanta reported $0.91 EPS vs. a $0.88 consensus and revenue of $258.3M (up ~8.5% y/y), showing underlying demand and margin resilience. Novanta Q4 earnings (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: FY 2026 guidance is roughly in line with street expectations: Novanta set FY EPS at $3.50–3.65 and revenue guidance of $1.0B–$1.1B, leaving upside at the top of the EPS range and providing a multi-quarter framework investors can model. Novanta Announces Financial Results (Business Wire)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/press coverage is flagging valuation after the recent run — Novanta’s P/E and recent share momentum are under review, which could temper further multiple expansion absent clearer upside. Assessing Novanta Valuation (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Company press and local coverage provide detail on results and the call — useful for modeling but not new directional information. Novanta: Q4 Earnings Snapshot (Stamford Advocate)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings preview/coverage highlighted what to watch on the call (guidance, cash flow, margin drivers). Useful context for near?term trading. Novanta earnings preview (MSN)
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 2026 guidance missed street expectations: management guided EPS of $0.75–0.80 vs. a ~$0.85 consensus and set Q1 revenue near or slightly below estimates — a near?term earnings headwind. Q1 Guidance (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Operating cash flow and some operating-profit metrics weakened: third?party summaries noted a sharp drop in cash from operations and a decline in operating profit, while cost of sales rose — these trends could pressure near?term cash generation and margin recovery. Q4 results and cash-flow detail (Quiver)
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling in recent months (CEO and other executives) may concern some investors about near?term confidence or create additional supply pressure on the stock. Insider trading details (Quiver)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOVT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Novanta from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Zacks Research raised shares of Novanta from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Novanta presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $133.00.

Insider Activity at Novanta

In other Novanta news, CEO Matthijs Glastra sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.04, for a total transaction of $1,087,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 57,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,320,509.68. This represents a 11.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Robert Buckley sold 1,423 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.14, for a total value of $199,419.22. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 91,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,757,504.76. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 22,923 shares of company stock worth $3,182,264. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novanta

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOVT. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new position in Novanta during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new stake in Novanta during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Novanta during the third quarter worth $40,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Novanta by 978.4% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 399 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novanta by 120.1% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 427 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the period. 98.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novanta Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $132.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $119.89. The company has a market capitalization of $5.20 billion, a PE ratio of 98.79 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

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.