Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) Stock Lifted to Hold by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Nova in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Zacks Research cut Nova from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Evercore set a $475.00 price target on Nova in a report on Friday, August 7th. Barclays dropped their price target on Nova from $600.00 to $500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on Nova from $570.00 to $420.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Nova presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $470.00.

Nova Stock Performance

NVMI opened at $313.18 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $346.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $437.27. The firm has a market cap of $9.95 billion, a PE ratio of 35.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.85. Nova has a twelve month low of $266.43 and a twelve month high of $615.99.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The semiconductor company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.09. Nova had a net margin of 29.87% and a return on equity of 22.61%. The company had revenue of $287.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $282.23 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.16 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 28.2% on a year-over-year basis. Nova has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.030-3.180 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Nova will post 10.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nova declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, September 2nd that authorizes the company to repurchase $200 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Nova

In other news, insider Shay Wolfing sold 3,864 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $363.28, for a total transaction of $1,403,713.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 21,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,777,461.52. This represents a 15.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Gabriel Waisman sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.27, for a total transaction of $513,405.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,314,535.78. This represents a 5.22% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Nova

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NVMI. Aberdeen Group plc lifted its stake in Nova by 1,148.9% in the 3rd quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 40,090 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $15,443,000 after acquiring an additional 36,880 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in Nova by 5,866.3% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 5,489 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,115,000 after acquiring an additional 5,397 shares during the last quarter. Ethic Inc. boosted its position in Nova by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 1,713 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $660,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. StoneX Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Nova during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $259,000. Finally, Tower View Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Nova by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,885 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $4,578,000 after acquiring an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.99% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Nova

Here are the key news stories impacting Nova this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 revenue reached a record $287.8 million, up 28.2% year over year, while adjusted EPS of $2.86 topped the roughly $2.77 consensus. Nova reports record third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Nova forecast Q4 revenue of $305 million–$315 million and EPS of $3.03–$3.18, with the EPS range just above analyst expectations. Management also pointed to strong memory and packaging demand and visibility into 2027 growth. Nova Q4 outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, one post-results report said the stock dropped, suggesting strong expectations may have limited the market’s initial response. Nova Q3 results and stock reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays reduced its price target to $500 from $600, and Needham cut its target to $420 from $570. Both firms kept positive ratings—Overweight and Buy, respectively—but the lower targets could weigh on sentiment. Barclays rating

About Nova