Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) Issues Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Nova guided to Q4 2026 EPS of $3.03–$3.18, above the $3.02 analyst consensus; revenue guidance of $305 million–$315 million brackets the $306.1 million consensus.
• Third-quarter results beat expectations: EPS was $2.86 versus $2.77 expected, and revenue reached $287.84 million, up 28.2% year over year.
• Shares fell to $279.92 during Thursday trading despite the results and guidance. Analysts’ average rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $482.78.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI - Get Free Report) issued an update on its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 3.030-3.180 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 3.020. The company issued revenue guidance of $305.0 million-$315.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $306.1 million.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on NVMI. Evercore set a $475.00 price objective on shares of Nova in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Nova from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, October 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $600.00 target price on shares of Nova in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Zacks Research downgraded Nova from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Nova from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $550.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $482.78.

Nova Stock Performance

NVMI stock traded down $15.43 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $279.92. 550,347 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 439,905. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.90 billion, a PE ratio of 34.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.85. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $349.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $438.79. Nova has a 52 week low of $266.43 and a 52 week high of $615.99.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The semiconductor company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.09. Nova had a net margin of 28.84% and a return on equity of 21.41%. The firm had revenue of $287.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $282.23 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 28.2% on a year-over-year basis. Nova has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.030-3.180 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Nova will post 9.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nova announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, September 2nd that permits the company to buy back $200 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to purchase up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Gabriel Waisman sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.27, for a total transaction of $513,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 27,214 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,314,535.78. This represents a 5.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shay Wolfing sold 3,864 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $363.28, for a total transaction of $1,403,713.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 21,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,777,461.52. This trade represents a 15.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Nova

Here are the key news stories impacting Nova this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue reached a record $287.8 million, up 28% year over year, while adjusted EPS of $2.86 topped consensus estimates. Nova Reports Record Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Nova forecast fourth-quarter EPS of $3.03–$3.18, above the $3.02 consensus, and revenue of $305 million–$315 million, compared with expectations of $306.1 million.
• Neutral Sentiment: Needham lowered its price target to $420 from $570 but maintained a Buy rating. The reduction is a cautionary signal, while the retained rating indicates the analyst still sees potential upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings and revenue beats, reports noted that the stock declined, indicating investors may have expected stronger results or guidance. Nova Q3: beats on revenue but stock drops

About Nova

Nova Ltd. NASDAQ: NVMI develops and supplies metrology and process-control solutions for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Its systems help chipmakers measure and control critical dimensions, film thickness, material properties and other characteristics during the production of integrated circuits.

The company's product portfolio includes optical and X-ray metrology systems, chemical metrology solutions, and related software and analytics tools. These technologies are used in multiple stages of semiconductor fabrication, including front-end wafer processing and advanced packaging, to support process development, yield improvement and manufacturing control.

Founded in 1993, Nova is headquartered in Rehovot, Israel, and serves semiconductor manufacturers and other industry customers through operations and support activities across North America, Europe and Asia.

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.