Novanta Inc. $NOVT Shares Acquired by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its Novanta stake by 92.1% in the fourth quarter, adding 84,328 shares to own 175,888 shares valued at about $20.9 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased positions, and hedge funds and institutions now own 98.35% of Novanta’s stock.
• Novanta reported quarterly earnings of $0.81 per share, topping estimates, while revenue rose 10.4% year over year to $257.71 million; the company also raised guidance for FY 2026 and Q2 2026.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its holdings in shares of Novanta Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVT - Free Report) by 92.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 175,888 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 84,328 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned 0.49% of Novanta worth $20,929,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NOVT. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Novanta by 78.9% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,231 shares of the technology company's stock worth $537,000 after acquiring an additional 1,866 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Novanta by 1.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 419,037 shares of the technology company's stock worth $53,582,000 after buying an additional 6,533 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in Novanta by 1,762.5% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 61,631 shares of the technology company's stock worth $7,881,000 after buying an additional 58,322 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new position in Novanta during the second quarter worth approximately $528,000. Finally, Amundi increased its position in Novanta by 2.0% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 18,042 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,397,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.35% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Matthijs Glastra sold 7,500 shares of Novanta stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.43, for a total transaction of $1,128,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 42,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,432,537.23. The trade was a 14.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Robert Buckley sold 9,957 shares of Novanta stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.77, for a total value of $1,162,678.89. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 96,616 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,281,850.32. This represents a 9.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,380 shares of company stock worth $3,336,701. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on NOVT. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Novanta in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Novanta from $144.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Novanta from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $173.00.

Novanta Trading Up 4.1%

Shares of NOVT stock opened at $153.60 on Thursday. The business's 50 day moving average is $128.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $126.85. Novanta Inc. has a twelve month low of $98.27 and a twelve month high of $165.56. The company has a market capitalization of $5.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 111.31 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a current ratio of 3.56, a quick ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The technology company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.03. Novanta had a return on equity of 12.06% and a net margin of 5.35%.The company had revenue of $257.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $253.40 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.74 EPS. The company's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Novanta has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.500-3.650 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.810-0.860 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Novanta Inc. will post 3.59 EPS for the current year.

Novanta Profile

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NOVT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Novanta Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.