Montanaro Asset Management Ltd Sells 10,050 Shares of Nova Ltd. $NVMI

Key Points

• Montanaro Asset Management reduced its Nova Ltd. stake by 13.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 10,050 shares and leaving it with 63,630 shares worth about $20.9 million. Nova remains its largest holding, accounting for 5.8% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Nova reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, posting $2.33 EPS versus the $2.20 consensus and revenue of $235.31 million, up 10.3% year over year. The company also provided Q2 2026 EPS guidance of 2.340-2.480.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with 82.99% of shares held by institutions and hedge funds, while several analysts maintain a generally positive view. The stock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, though recent actions included some insider selling and a few mixed rating changes.

Montanaro Asset Management Ltd trimmed its position in Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI - Free Report) by 13.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 63,630 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 10,050 shares during the quarter. Nova accounts for 5.8% of Montanaro Asset Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its largest holding. Montanaro Asset Management Ltd owned 0.20% of Nova worth $20,895,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NVMI. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Nova by 119.8% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,360 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Nova by 21.4% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 38,565 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $12,664,000 after buying an additional 6,804 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in shares of Nova by 2,128.7% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 128,641 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $41,121,000 after buying an additional 122,869 shares during the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Nova by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 1,493,657 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $490,502,000 after buying an additional 98,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Nova by 0.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,113,762 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $354,172,000 after buying an additional 10,441 shares in the last quarter. 82.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nova Stock Performance

Shares of NVMI opened at $575.31 on Friday. Nova Ltd. has a 52 week low of $224.00 and a 52 week high of $615.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.73, a PEG ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $519.70 and a 200-day moving average of $449.35.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Nova had a return on equity of 21.77% and a net margin of 29.21%.The business had revenue of $235.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $227.02 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.18 EPS. Nova's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Nova has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.340-2.480 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Nova Ltd. will post 9.44 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Nova

In other news, Director Yaniv Garty sold 426 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $514.49, for a total transaction of $219,172.74. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,038 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,048,530.62. The trade was a 17.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Sarit Sagiv sold 426 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $514.49, for a total value of $219,172.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,437 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,253,812.13. This represents a 14.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,411 shares of company stock worth $1,243,018. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on NVMI. Zacks Research cut Nova from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $494.00 target price on shares of Nova in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of Nova from $500.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Nova from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $600.00 price target on shares of Nova in a report on Friday, May 15th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $518.22.

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.

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