Morgan Stanley Raises Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) Price Target to $540.00

by · The Markets Daily

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI – Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by Morgan Stanley from $494.00 to $540.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently 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 analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Nova from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research downgraded Nova from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Barclays increased their price objective on Nova from $465.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Nova from $500.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Nova from $520.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Nova currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $551.25.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Nova

Nova Trading Up 3.6%

NASDAQ NVMI traded up $16.71 on Monday, hitting $486.85. 42,147 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 414,832. Nova has a 1-year low of $232.73 and a 1-year high of $615.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $519.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $463.70. The company has a market cap of $15.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 1.74.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The semiconductor company reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.13. Nova had a net margin of 29.21% and a return on equity of 21.77%. The firm had revenue of $235.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $227.02 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.18 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Nova has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.340-2.480 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Nova will post 9.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nova

In other news, Director Sarit Sagiv sold 454 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $536.52, for a total value of $243,580.08. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,046,750.52. This represents a 18.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Yaniv Garty sold 366 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $581.20, for a total value of $212,719.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,006 shares in the company, valued at $1,165,887.20. This represents a 15.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders sold a total of 7,798 shares of company stock worth $4,125,266 over the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nova

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. lifted its stake in 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 during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Nova by 185.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 607,344 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $194,144,000 after acquiring an additional 394,544 shares during the period. Phoenix Financial Ltd. raised its position in shares of Nova by 286.3% in the 4th quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 508,641 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $167,115,000 after acquiring an additional 376,974 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Nova during the 4th quarter worth approximately $109,568,000. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment bought a new position in Nova during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $79,915,000. Institutional investors own 82.99% of the company’s stock.

About Nova

(Get Free Report)

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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