Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) Stock Price

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Nova from $494 to $540, while keeping an equal weight rating. The new target implies about 10.9% upside from the prior close.
• Nova’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $2.33 versus $2.20 expected and revenue of $235.31 million versus $227.02 million expected. Revenue rose 10.3% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive overall: seven Buy ratings and three Hold ratings give Nova a consensus Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $551.25.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $494.00 to $540.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "equal weight" rating on the semiconductor company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 10.92% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on NVMI. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Nova from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of Nova in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Nova from $465.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Nova from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their target price 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. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $551.25.

Nova Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NVMI traded up $16.71 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $486.85. The company had a trading volume of 42,147 shares, compared to its average volume of 414,832. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $519.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $463.70. Nova has a 12 month low of $232.73 and a 12 month high of $615.99. The firm has a market cap of $15.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.76, a PEG ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 1.74.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The semiconductor company reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $235.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $227.02 million. Nova had a return on equity of 21.77% and a net margin of 29.21%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.18 earnings per share. Nova has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.340-2.480 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Nova will post 9.44 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Yaniv Garty sold 366 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $581.20, for a total value of $212,719.20. Following the sale, the director owned 2,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,165,887.20. The trade was a 15.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Eitan Oppenhaim sold 1,290 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $581.20, for a total transaction of $749,748.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,421 shares in the company, valued at $3,731,885.20. This represents a 16.73% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 7,798 shares of company stock valued at $4,125,266. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nova

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nova during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Nova during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in Nova by 75.7% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 130 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Nova by 2,042.9% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 150 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Nova by 51.6% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 376 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. 82.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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