Aberdeen Group plc Lowers Holdings in Nova Ltd. $NVMI

Aberdeen Group plc trimmed its position in Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) by 30.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,325 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 2,303 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Nova were worth $1,749,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Nova by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $375,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Bank Hapoalim BM lifted its holdings in shares of Nova by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank Hapoalim BM now owns 910 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Nova by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,581,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. SkyOak Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Nova by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. SkyOak Wealth LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Nova by 75.7% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 130 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. 82.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nova Trading Up 3.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:NVMI opened at $494.08 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $447.31 and its 200 day moving average is $379.67. Nova Ltd. has a 1 year low of $168.18 and a 1 year high of $507.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 6.28 and a quick ratio of 5.47.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The semiconductor company reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.13 by $0.01. Nova had a return on equity of 22.90% and a net margin of 29.44%.The company had revenue of $222.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $220.43 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.94 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Nova Ltd. will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on Nova from $370.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Nova from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Zacks Research raised Nova from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $453.00 price target on shares of Nova in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Nova in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $465.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $442.25.

Nova 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.