Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest for Nova Ltd. increased by 26.0% in August, reaching a total of 1,890,000 shares sold short, which accounts for 6.5% of its stock.
• Institutional investors hold 82.99% of Nova's stock, with significant increases in positions from firms like Amundi and Bank of New York Mellon Corp during the first quarter.
• Nova reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $2.20 per share, beating analysts' estimates, and set its guidance for Q3 2025 between 2.020 and 2.220 EPS.

Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,890,000 shares, an increase of 26.0% from the August 15th total of 1,500,000 shares. Currently, 6.5% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 327,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.8 days. Based on an average daily volume of 327,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.8 days. Currently, 6.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Nova Stock Down 0.4%

Nova stock traded down $1.25 on Friday, hitting $309.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,179,691 shares, compared to its average volume of 617,796. The firm has a market cap of $9.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $270.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $231.30. Nova has a one year low of $153.99 and a one year high of $318.77.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The semiconductor company reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.15. Nova had a net margin of 29.10% and a return on equity of 24.36%. The firm had revenue of $219.99 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $214.95 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 40.2% on a year-over-year basis. Nova has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.220 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Nova will post 7.52 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on NVMI. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Nova from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Nova from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $300.00 price objective (up from $250.00) on shares of Nova in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $282.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nova

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. acquired a new stake in shares of Nova in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Nova by 51.9% during the second quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 164 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Nova by 182.7% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 212 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Nova by 51.6% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 376 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Nova by 62.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 260 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 82.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Nova Company Profile

Nova Ltd. designs, develops, produces, and sells process control systems used in the manufacture of semiconductors in Israel, Taiwan, the United States, China, Korea, and internationally. Its product portfolio includes a set of metrology platforms for dimensional, films, and materials and chemical metrology measurements for process control for various semiconductor manufacturing process steps, including lithography, etch, chemical mechanical planarization, deposition, electrochemical plating, and advanced packaging.