83,865 Shares in Nova Ltd. $NVMI Purchased by Mivtachim The Workers Social Insurance Fund Ltd. Under Special Management

Mivtachim The Workers Social Insurance Fund Ltd. Under Special Management acquired a new stake in shares of Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 83,865 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,534,000. Nova comprises approximately 6.0% of Mivtachim The Workers Social Insurance Fund Ltd. Under Special Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its holdings in Nova by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 1,493,657 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $490,502,000 after buying an additional 98,000 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Nova by 21.4% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 38,565 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $12,664,000 after acquiring an additional 6,804 shares during the period. Phoenix Financial Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Nova by 286.3% during 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 last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Nova by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 145,427 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $48,642,000 after acquiring an additional 23,280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Markets Americas LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nova in the fourth quarter valued at about $14,056,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Nova

In related news, Director Eitan Oppenhaim sold 1,504 shares of Nova stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $519.48, for a total value of $781,297.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,463,892.64. This trade represents a 18.40% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 Sarit Sagiv sold 454 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $536.52, for a total value of $243,580.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,046,750.52. The trade was a 18.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,798 shares of company stock valued at $4,125,266. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Nova Price Performance

NASDAQ NVMI opened at $418.12 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $470.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $473.84. Nova Ltd. has a 12 month low of $232.73 and a 12 month high of $615.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.75, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.78.

Nova (NASDAQ:NVMI) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The semiconductor company reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.10. Nova had a net margin of 28.84% and a return on equity of 21.41%. The company had revenue of $254.96 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $250.33 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.20 earnings per share. Nova’s revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Nova Ltd. will post 9.74 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Nova in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Nova from $494.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Nova from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Nova from $595.00 to $550.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Nova from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Nova presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $514.44.

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.