Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 3.680-3.740 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 3.590. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.1 billion-$1.1 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.1 billion. Novanta also updated its Q3 2026 guidance to 0.950-1.000 EPS.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Novanta Price Performance

NOVT opened at $153.12 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $153.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $141.21. Novanta has a 12-month low of $98.27 and a 12-month high of $171.85. The firm has a market cap of $5.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 110.96 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a current ratio of 3.56, a quick ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The technology company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.06. The business 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $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. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Novanta will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Novanta news, CEO Matthijs Glastra sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 42,761 shares in the company, valued at $6,432,537.23. The trade was a 14.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Novanta News Summary

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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novanta

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Novanta in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Novanta by 17.2% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,627 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novanta in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novanta in the 3rd quarter valued at $261,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novanta in the 4th quarter valued at $261,000. Hedge funds and other 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.