Insider Selling: Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) CEO Sells 1,500 Shares

Key Points

• Nova CEO Gabriel Waisman sold 1,500 shares at an average price of $342.27, totaling $513,405. The transaction was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, leaving him with 27,214 shares.
• Nova shares rose 3.5% to $349.60, while the company reported quarterly EPS of $2.51 and revenue of $254.96 million, exceeding analyst estimates. Revenue increased 15.9% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $514.44 price target; institutional investors own approximately 82.99% of the stock.

Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI - Get Free Report) CEO Gabriel Waisman sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.27, for a total value of $513,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,214 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,314,535.78. The trade was a 5.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Gabriel Waisman also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, July 2nd, Gabriel Waisman sold 2,966 shares of Nova stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.30, for a total value of $1,486,855.80.

Nova Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of NVMI traded up $11.96 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $349.60. 498,498 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 445,221. Nova Ltd. has a 1-year low of $232.73 and a 1-year high of $615.99. The company has a market capitalization of $11.11 billion, a PE ratio of 43.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.76. The business has a 50 day moving average of $426.58 and a 200 day moving average of $466.45.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The semiconductor company reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $254.96 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $250.33 million. Nova had a return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 28.84%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.20 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Nova Ltd. will post 9.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Nova

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in Nova by 4.9% during the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,200,948 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $605,701,000 after buying an additional 102,250 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Nova by 47.5% in the first quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 2,166,073 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $940,683,000 after buying an additional 697,210 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Nova by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,128,957 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $377,402,000 after buying an additional 15,195 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Nova in the 2nd quarter valued at $391,367,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Nova by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 634,284 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $208,293,000 after acquiring an additional 26,940 shares in the last quarter. 82.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVMI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Nova from $595.00 to $550.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price objective on shares of Nova from $600.00 to $500.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 7th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on shares of Nova from $640.00 to $570.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Nova from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $600.00 price target on shares of Nova in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $514.44.

Nova Company Profile

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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