Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) Stock Price Down 8% – Time to Sell?

Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) shares traded down 8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $557.89 and last traded at $557.3320. 247,116 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 38% from the average session volume of 399,494 shares. The stock had previously closed at $605.65.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on Nova from $500.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research cut Nova from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Nova from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Nova from $520.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Nova from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $518.22.

Nova Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $17.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.63, a PEG ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $510.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $443.16.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The semiconductor company reported $2.33 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $227.02 million. Nova had a return on equity of 21.77% and a net margin of 29.21%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.18 earnings per share. Nova has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.340-2.480 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Nova Ltd. will post 9.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Nova

In other news, Director Yaniv Garty sold 426 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.49, for a total transaction of $219,172.74. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,038 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,048,530.62. This trade represents a 17.29% 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. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Eitan Oppenhaim sold 1,504 shares of the 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 transaction, the director owned 6,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,463,892.64. This trade represents 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,411 shares of company stock worth $1,243,018. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nova

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Nova during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in Nova during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased 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 worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased 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 worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new position in Nova during the 4th quarter worth $74,000. Institutional investors own 82.99% of the company’s stock.

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.