Key Points
- CFO Robert Buckley sold 1,423 shares of Novanta on Feb. 20 at an average price of $140.88 for ~$200,472, reducing his position by 1.49% to 93,814 shares (SEC Form 4 filed).
- Q4 results narrowly beat EPS with $0.91 vs. $0.88 consensus on $258.35M revenue (slightly below expectations), but management's Q1 guidance of $0.75–$0.80 and FY‑2026 guide of $3.50–$3.65 disappointed investors and raised short‑term growth and cash‑flow concerns.
- Street view is cautious: the consensus rating is "Hold" with an average target of $133, and institutional ownership is very high (about 98%).
Novanta Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVT - Get Free Report) CFO Robert Buckley sold 1,423 shares of Novanta stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.88, for a total value of $200,472.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 93,814 shares in the company, valued at $13,216,516.32. The trade was a 1.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
Robert Buckley also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Wednesday, January 21st, Robert Buckley sold 1,423 shares of Novanta stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.14, for a total value of $199,419.22.
Novanta Stock Performance
Novanta stock opened at $137.44 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 2.51 and a quick ratio of 1.54. Novanta Inc. has a 12-month low of $98.27 and a 12-month high of $153.20. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $132.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.04. The company has a market capitalization of $4.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 94.14 and a beta of 1.62.
Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The technology company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $258.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $260.72 million. Novanta had a net margin of 5.49% and a return on equity of 15.29%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.76 EPS. Novanta has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.500-3.650 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.750-0.800 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Novanta Inc. will post 3.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on NOVT shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Novanta from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Zacks Research upgraded Novanta from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $133.00.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Novanta
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novanta
Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new position in Novanta during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Novanta by 978.4% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 399 shares of the technology company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 362 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in Novanta during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. acquired a new position in Novanta in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new stake in Novanta in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. 98.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Novanta News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Novanta this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q4 results showed record revenue and an earnings beat: Novanta reported revenue of about $258.3M (up ~8.5% YoY) and GAAP EPS of $0.91, narrowly beating consensus EPS. Management highlighted strategic growth plans on the earnings call. Read More.
- Neutral Sentiment: Company issued its formal press release and full financial tables for Q4 and FY 2025 (useful for modeling revenue and margin bridges). Read More.
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/valuation pieces are assessing where the stock sits after recent momentum — useful background for relative valuation and multiple expansion analyses. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Q1 and FY‑2026 guidance disappointed some expectations: Q1 EPS guide of $0.75–$0.80 vs. consensus ~$0.85, and FY EPS guide of $3.50–$3.65 is only marginally below consensus — the lower near‑term EPS guide drove investor concern about near‑term growth. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Operational/cash‑flow flags reported by third parties: one summary noted a sharp drop in cash from operations (reported ~‑85% YoY) and higher cost of sales, which pressured operating profit despite revenue growth — this raises short‑term margin and cash‑conversion concerns (third‑party data caveat). Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling continues: CFO Robert Buckley sold 1,423 shares in late Feb (SEC Form 4 filed); coverage also notes multiple recent insider sales by executives. While insiders still hold large positions, continued sales can weigh on sentiment. Read More.
Novanta Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Novanta, Inc (NASDAQ: NOVT) is a global technology company that designs and manufactures precision components, subsystems and software used in advanced photonics and motion control applications. The company serves customers in the medical device and advanced industrial markets, supplying critical technologies for diagnostics and therapeutic systems, semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, and scientific instrumentation. Novanta's product portfolio includes laser control modules, optics, beam delivery systems, high-precision motors, actuators, stages, and fluidics solutions designed to meet stringent accuracy and reliability requirements.
Novanta's Photonics segment delivers laser and energy delivery components that enable minimally invasive surgical procedures and diagnostic imaging.
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