Novanta Inc. $NOVT is Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC's 9th Largest Position

Key Points

• Conestoga Capital boosted its stake in Novanta by 3.4% to 1,458,259 shares, making NOVT its 9th-largest holding and representing about 4.08% of the company (≈$173.5M).
• Novanta beat Q4 EPS estimates ($0.91 vs. $0.88) but reported slightly lower-than-expected revenue ($258.35M); it issued FY2026 guidance of 3.50–3.65 EPS (analysts project ~3.54 EPS) and the stock is trading with a market cap of $4.61B and a P/E of 88.72, with a consensus analyst rating of "Hold" and average target $144.00.
• Insider selling has been notable — executives sold 25,380 shares in the last 90 days (including CEO and CFO sales) — while institutional investors own ~98.35% of the stock and insiders hold about 1.20%.

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Novanta Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVT - Free Report) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,458,259 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 47,540 shares during the period. Novanta accounts for approximately 2.9% of Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC owned about 4.08% of Novanta worth $173,518,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of NOVT. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Novanta by 75.9% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,399,462 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $155,536,000 after purchasing an additional 604,055 shares in the last quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of Novanta by 1,114.5% during the third quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 391,148 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $39,173,000 after purchasing an additional 358,941 shares in the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY grew its position in shares of Novanta by 101.6% during the third quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 627,093 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $62,803,000 after purchasing an additional 315,978 shares in the last quarter. American Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Novanta during the third quarter valued at about $21,919,000. Finally, UBS Group AG grew its position in shares of Novanta by 949.1% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 213,868 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $21,419,000 after purchasing an additional 193,482 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.35% of the company's stock.

Novanta Stock Up 7.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:NOVT opened at $129.53 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.69, a quick ratio of 2.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Novanta Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.27 and a 12 month high of $149.95. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $126.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.14. The company has a market cap of $4.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 88.72 and a beta of 1.64.

Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The technology company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.03. Novanta had a net margin of 5.49% and a return on equity of 13.12%. The firm had revenue of $258.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $260.72 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.76 EPS. Novanta has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.500-3.650 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.750-0.800 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Novanta Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on NOVT. Robert W. Baird upgraded Novanta from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $150.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Novanta in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered Novanta from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Novanta from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $144.00.

Insider Transactions at Novanta

In related news, CEO Matthijs Glastra sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.04, for a total value of $1,087,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 57,367 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,320,509.68. This trade represents a 11.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Robert Buckley sold 9,957 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.77, for a total transaction of $1,162,678.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 96,616 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,281,850.32. The trade was a 9.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,380 shares of company stock valued at $3,296,276. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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