Nova Ltd. $NVMI Shares Sold by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) by 38.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 42,165 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 26,697 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Nova were worth $18,311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of NVMI. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Nova during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Nova in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in Nova by 75.7% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 130 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in Nova by 2,042.9% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Nova by 51.6% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 376 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.99% of the company’s stock.

Nova Stock Down 8.8%

Shares of NVMI opened at $366.91 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.66 billion, a PE ratio of 45.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $496.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $477.13. Nova Ltd. has a 52-week low of $232.73 and a 52-week high of $615.99.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The semiconductor company reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $235.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $227.02 million. Nova had a net margin of 29.21% and a return on equity of 21.77%. Nova’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.18 EPS. Nova has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.340-2.480 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Nova Ltd. will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Nova from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Nova in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays increased their price objective on Nova from $465.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $600.00 target price on shares of Nova in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Nova from $500.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $556.67.

Insider Activity at Nova

In related news, CEO Gabriel Waisman sold 2,966 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.30, for a total transaction of $1,486,855.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 28,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,394,328.20. The trade was a 9.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Eitan Oppenhaim sold 1,504 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $519.48, for a total value of $781,297.92. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,463,892.64. The trade was a 18.40% 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. Insiders have sold 7,798 shares of company stock worth $4,125,266 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Nova Profile

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.