Nova Ltd. $NVMI Shares Bought by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) by 119.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,360 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after buying an additional 2,376 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Nova were worth $1,432,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Nova by 3.2% during the third 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 last quarter. Bank Hapoalim BM raised its stake in Nova by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bank Hapoalim BM now owns 910 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $291,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its position in Nova by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,581,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. SkyOak Wealth LLC grew its stake 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 valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake 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 valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.99% of the company’s stock.

Nova Stock Up 0.8%

NVMI opened at $445.55 on Tuesday. 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 Ltd. has a 12 month low of $161.02 and a 12 month high of $507.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.80. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $448.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $377.24.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on NVMI. Zacks Research upgraded Nova from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Nova from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Nova from $370.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $453.00 target price on shares of Nova in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $485.00 target price on shares of Nova in a report on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $442.25.

About Nova

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.