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Nova (NVMI)
NASDAQ:NVMI

Nova (NVMI) AI Stock Analysis

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NVMI

Nova

(NASDAQ:NVMI)

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Outperform 74 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:74Outperform
Price Target:
$497.00
▲(12.31% Upside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:02/14/26
The score is driven primarily by strong financial performance (high margins, sharp TTM revenue step-up, and solid free cash flow) and a positive earnings-call outlook with clear Q1 guidance and expectations for H2 acceleration. Offsetting this are elevated balance-sheet leverage versus 2024, a neutral near-term technical setup (below the 20DMA), and a demanding valuation (P/E ~55.6).
Positive Factors
Revenue Growth & Scale
Nova’s revenue expanded sharply (TTM $881M, +31% YoY) driven by broad-based product wins across GAA, advanced packaging and memory. Durable topline momentum and expanding market penetration increase scale economics and support continued investment and capacity expansion over the next several quarters.
High & Stable Margins
Sustained gross margins near the high-50s and operating margins around 30% reflect differentiated metrology products and pricing power. These margin levels support durable profitability, fund R&D (>15% of revenue) and capacity builds, and provide a structural buffer versus cyclical swings in equipment demand.
Cash Generation & Liquidity
Strong operating cash flow and ~$218M FCF, together with $1.6B+ liquidity, give Nova sustained financial flexibility to fund R&D, scale manufacturing in Asia, and support multi-year product rollouts without immediate reliance on markets. This cash profile underpins long-term execution resilience.
Negative Factors
Rising Leverage
Material increase in debt reduces balance-sheet flexibility and raises refinancing and interest-rate risk if the equipment cycle softens. Higher leverage can constrain the company’s ability to invest opportunistically or smooth R&D/capacity spend during downturns, increasing financial vulnerability over the medium term.
Customer & Geographic Concentration
Concentration among a few customers and territories amplifies demand risk: pauses or slower buying from a major customer or region (notably China) can cause significant revenue swings. This structural concentration reduces revenue diversification and increases exposure to geopolitical and OEM cycle changes.
Cyclicality & Visibility Risk
Historical cyclicality and management’s note on shorter lead times and reduced visibility mean order timing is less predictable. That complicates capacity planning and can pressure near-term margins as operating expenses are ramped, making 2–6 month outlooks more sensitive to WFE cadence and regional demand shifts.

Nova (NVMI) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Nova Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionNova Ltd. designs, develops, produces, and sells process control systems used in the manufacture of semiconductors in Israel, Taiwan, the United States, China, Korea, and internationally. Its product portfolio includes a set of metrology platforms for dimensional, films, and materials and chemical metrology measurements for process control for various semiconductor manufacturing process steps, including lithography, etch, chemical mechanical planarization, deposition, electrochemical plating, and advanced packaging. The company serves various sectors of the integrated circuit manufacturing industry, including logic, foundries, and memory manufacturers, as well as process equipment manufacturers. Nova Ltd. was formerly known as Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd. and changed its name to Nova Ltd. in July 2021. The company was incorporated in 1993 and is headquartered in Rehovot, Israel.
How the Company Makes MoneyNova generates revenue primarily through the sale of its metrology and inspection systems, as well as related software solutions and services. The company earns income from direct product sales, ongoing maintenance contracts, and software licensing agreements. Key revenue streams include the initial sale of hardware equipment to semiconductor manufacturers, follow-up service agreements that provide support and upgrades for existing systems, and software sales that enhance the functionality of their devices. Significant partnerships with major semiconductor companies also contribute to Nova's earnings, as these collaborations often lead to long-term contracts and recurring revenue from clients looking to integrate advanced metrology solutions into their production lines.

Nova Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Feb 12, 2026
(Q4-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:May 07, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call emphasized multiple strong financial and operational achievements — record revenue ($880.6M, +31% YoY), high margins, record EPS, robust cash generation ($1.6B+ liquidity and $218M free cash flow), broad-based product wins (GAA, advanced packaging, memory), and continued heavy investment in R&D and capacity. Challenges noted include shorter lead times and reduced visibility (notably in China), some customer/territory concentration, elevated operating spend as investments are ramped, and awaiting a clearer NAND recovery. Management provided constructive 2026 guidance and expects accelerating momentum, particularly in H2, suggesting confidence in continued growth despite near-term visibility constraints.
Q4-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Record Annual Revenue and Strong YoY Growth
Annual revenue of $880.6M, up 31% year-over-year, described as a record performance and outperformance of the industry.
Quarterly Revenue Beat
Q4 revenue of $222.6M, up 14% year-over-year and above the guidance midpoint of $220M.
Record Profitability and EPS Growth
Record GAAP and non-GAAP profitability for the year; annual diluted EPS of $7.96 (GAAP) and $8.62 (non-GAAP). Q4 EPS of $1.94 (GAAP) and $2.14 (non-GAAP), exceeding the guidance midpoint of $2.11. EPS grew ~29% year-over-year (company statement).
High Margins and Operating Efficiency
Blended gross margins: Q4 GAAP 57.6%, Q4 non-GAAP 59.6%. Annual gross margins: GAAP 57.4%, non-GAAP 59%. Operating margins: Q4 GAAP 27% / non-GAAP 32%; annual operating margin GAAP 29% / non-GAAP 33%, at the upper end of the target model.
Strong Balance Sheet and Cash Generation
Ended 2025 with more than $1.6B in cash, cash equivalents, bank deposits and marketable securities, and generated $218M in free cash flow during 2025.
Broad-Based Growth and Key Market Wins
Broad growth across gate-all-around, advanced packaging, and memory. Advanced packaging revenue rose >60% YoY and represented ~20% of product revenue. Notable customer wins include a leading logic customer selecting Nova's integrated metrology for CMP in GAA processes; ELIPSON selected as tool of record at a top foundry; Metrion qualified for GAA, 3D NAND and DRAM; Nova WMC traction in packaging/HBM.
Services and Product Traction
Services organization delivered record quarterly and annual revenues, shifting toward annual service contracts and earning multiple service excellence awards. Product milestones include shipping the 300th XPS tool and continued market share gains (cited 25% market share in CD/OCD/film per Gartner 2024).
Investment in R&D and Capacity
R&D investment >15% of revenues to support new products (e.g., a novel metrology solution combining optical/materials metrology and AI-driven modeling). Company is expanding manufacturing capacity in Asia and implementing a new ERP to scale operations.
2026 Guidance and Positive Market Outlook
Q1 2026 guidance: revenues $222M–$232M; GAAP EPS $1.90–$2.02; non-GAAP EPS $2.13–$2.25. Company expects WFE to be low-double-digits for 2026 and anticipates momentum accelerating into the second half of the year.
Negative Updates
Reduced Visibility and Lead Time Pressure
Management cited shorter lead times and reduced visibility, particularly in China, and noted increased pressure on lead times across materials, chemical and dimensional metrology portfolios.
China Revenue Share Decline and Concentration
China share declined from 39% in 2024 to 33% in 2025 and is expected to normalize around ~30%. Additionally, product revenue concentration remains notable with 3 customers and 4 territories each contributing ≥10% to product revenues, indicating customer/territory concentration risk.
Sequential Margin Pressure in Q1 Guidance
Q1 2026 gross margin guidance implies a modest sequential decline (guidance ~56% GAAP / ~58% non-GAAP vs. Q4 non-GAAP 59.6%), attributed to product mix for the quarter.
Rising Operating Expenses
Operating expenses increased in Q4 to $67.5M (GAAP) / $62M (non-GAAP) due to targeted ramp-ups in R&D and sales & marketing to advance product roadmap and future growth.
NAND Recovery Not Yet Materialized
Management indicated NAND shows signs of improvement but is still awaiting a clear inflection similar to DRAM/HBM, implying some exposure to slower recovery in NAND demand.
Visibility on Degree of Outperformance Uncertain
While the company expects to outperform WFE and accelerate in H2 2026, management stated it is too early to quantify the degree of outperformance for the full year, introducing some guidance uncertainty.
Company Guidance
For the first quarter of 2026 Nova guided revenue of $222 million to $232 million, GAAP diluted EPS of $1.90–$2.02 and non‑GAAP diluted EPS of $2.13–$2.25; at the midpoint management expects gross margins of roughly 56% GAAP and 58% non‑GAAP, GAAP operating expenses of about $65 million (non‑GAAP ~$60 million), non‑GAAP financial income of ~ $16 million and an effective tax rate near 16%. Management also reiterated a WFE outlook of low double‑digit growth, said they expect the first half of 2026 to be higher than 2025 with acceleration in the second half, and signaled the company intends to outperform WFE as orders and capacity ramps.

Nova Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Strong profitability and scale with TTM revenue rising to $881M (vs. $672M in 2024), consistently high gross margins (~56–58%), and strong net/operating margins (~29%/~30%). Cash generation is solid (TTM FCF ~$218M, ~91% of net income). The key offset is higher balance-sheet risk as total debt increased materially to ~$799M TTM (debt/equity ~0.75), plus some cyclicality/volatility in growth.
Income Statement
90
Very Positive
NVMI shows strong profitability and improving scale. TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months) revenue is up sharply versus 2024 (from $672M to $881M) with consistently high gross margins (~56–58%) and strong net margins (TTM ~29% vs. ~27% in 2024). Operating profitability is also solid (TTM operating margin ~30%). The main weakness is growth volatility: revenue declined in 2023 before re-accelerating meaningfully into 2024/TTM, suggesting some cyclicality.
Balance Sheet
66
Positive
The balance sheet is generally healthy with rising equity ($1.32B TTM vs. $0.93B in 2024) and solid returns for shareholders (TTM return on equity ~23%). However, leverage increased materially: total debt jumped to ~$799M TTM from ~$236M in 2024, pushing debt relative to equity up to ~0.75 from ~0.25. This higher leverage reduces financial flexibility and raises risk if the semiconductor cycle weakens.
Cash Flow
78
Positive
Cash generation is strong, with TTM operating cash flow of ~$246M and free cash flow of ~$218M, and free cash flow running close to reported earnings (TTM free cash flow is ~91% of net income). The key weakness is that free cash flow is slightly down year-over-year in TTM (about -5%), and cash conversion versus earnings is not consistently strong across years, indicating some working-capital or timing variability.
BreakdownDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue880.58M672.40M517.92M570.73M416.11M
Gross Profit507.46M387.09M293.18M322.40M237.36M
EBITDA278.09M204.92M172.41M164.59M122.42M
Net Income259.22M183.76M136.31M140.21M93.10M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets2.36B1.39B1.13B984.11M805.15M
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments1.05B586.57M443.68M373.50M410.16M
Total Debt858.43M236.10M244.14M246.06M220.94M
Total Liabilities1.04B462.63M383.06M397.14M331.40M
Stockholders Equity1.32B927.79M750.75M586.96M473.75M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow217.91M218.05M106.34M98.22M127.45M
Operating Cash Flow245.61M235.27M123.53M119.54M132.26M
Investing Cash Flow-837.17M-136.40M-125.33M-100.26M-238.50M
Financing Cash Flow642.21M-48.35M10.00K-29.81M11.00K

Nova Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Neutral
Last Price442.53
Price Trends
50DMA
403.98
Positive
100DMA
361.96
Positive
200DMA
307.73
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
8.70
Positive
RSI
51.91
Neutral
STOCH
26.10
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For NVMI, the sentiment is Neutral. The current price of 442.53 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 454.61, above the 50-day MA of 403.98, and above the 200-day MA of 307.73, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of 8.70 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 51.91 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 26.10 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Neutral sentiment for NVMI.

Nova Risk Analysis

Nova disclosed 51 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Nova reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Nova Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
75
Outperform
$10.99B80.746.79%6.38%-4.15%
74
Outperform
$14.46B56.9923.08%39.37%40.87%
73
Outperform
$14.08B65.047.93%8.03%-6.03%
72
Outperform
$7.50B176.688.70%21.12%-54.97%
70
Outperform
$5.01B20.1114.32%1.52%-0.58%-6.67%
68
Neutral
$12.00B31.288.67%0.81%0.13%-16.17%
61
Neutral
$37.18B12.37-10.20%1.83%8.50%-7.62%
* Technology Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
NVMI
Nova
455.02
204.59
81.70%
AMKR
Amkor
48.53
27.12
126.62%
CAMT
Camtek
163.78
86.90
113.03%
ONTO
Onto Innovation
224.18
73.21
48.49%
TSEM
Tower
126.01
82.97
192.77%
OLED
Universal Display
106.44
-48.83
-31.45%

Nova Corporate Events

Nova Posts Record 2025 Results on AI-Driven Metrology Demand
Feb 12, 2026

Nova Ltd. reported on February 12, 2026 that its fourth quarter 2025 revenue rose 14% year over year to $222.6 million, with GAAP net income up 23% to $64.7 million, as gross margin improved to 57.6%. The company also highlighted a strategic win, as its integrated metrology portfolio was selected by a leading global logic customer to support CMP applications in Gate‑All‑Around processes.

For full year 2025, Nova posted record revenue of $880.6 million, up 31% from 2024, alongside record GAAP net income of $259.2 million, reflecting strong demand for its optical, materials and chemical metrology tools in AI‑driven applications such as Gate‑All‑Around, DRAM and advanced packaging. Management said the broad‑based momentum and multiple strategic qualifications strengthen its competitive position and leave Nova well placed to benefit from an expected upturn in semiconductor investment in 2026.

The most recent analyst rating on (NVMI) stock is a Buy with a $506.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Nova stock, see the NVMI Stock Forecast page.

Nova Wins Key Metrion® Adoptions at Leading Logic and Memory Chipmakers
Jan 29, 2026

On January 29, 2026, Nova announced that its Nova Metrion® platform has been adopted by two leading global manufacturers in the Memory and Logic segments for use in Gate-All-Around (GAA) and advanced DRAM production, marking a key milestone in the tool’s market penetration. As the first fully automated Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry system validated for inline production process control, Metrion enables full-wafer mapping and near-real-time detection of process excursions directly in the fab, helping customers reduce scrap and rework while tightening statistical process control on complex film stacks. By expanding its materials metrology footprint at two critical technology inflection points, Nova strengthens its role in enabling next-generation semiconductor processes and underscores its strategy of driving sustainable growth through technology leadership in advanced metrology.

The most recent analyst rating on (NVMI) stock is a Buy with a $532.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Nova stock, see the NVMI Stock Forecast page.

Nova CFO to Present at 28th Annual Needham Growth Conference on January 14, 2026
Jan 8, 2026

On January 8, 2026, Nova announced that Chief Financial Officer Guy Kizner will represent the company at the 28th Annual Needham Growth Conference in New York, with a moderated fireside chat scheduled for 12:45 p.m. EST on January 14, 2026 and in‑person one‑on‑one investor meetings available on January 13–14. By participating in this high‑profile growth‑equity forum, Nova is seeking to deepen engagement with the investment community, showcase its semiconductor metrology expertise and growth profile, and potentially strengthen its visibility and positioning among institutional investors focused on advanced semiconductor technologies.

The most recent analyst rating on (NVMI) stock is a Buy with a $427.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Nova stock, see the NVMI Stock Forecast page.

Nova to Announce Q4 and Full-Year 2025 Results on February 12, 2026
Jan 7, 2026

On January 7, 2026, Nova announced that it will publish its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2025 before the U.S. market opens on Thursday, February 12, 2026, underscoring the upcoming visibility into its recent operating performance. The company said President and CEO Gaby Waisman and CFO Guy Kizner will host a conference call and live webcast the same day at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to review the results, with a replay available for one week, signaling continued engagement with investors and analysts ahead of what could be a key update on demand trends and capital spending in the semiconductor equipment sector.

The most recent analyst rating on (NVMI) stock is a Buy with a $427.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Nova stock, see the NVMI Stock Forecast page.

Nova Appoints Veteran Tech Investor Rami Hadar to Board of Directors
Dec 29, 2025

On December 29, 2025, Israel-based Nova Ltd. announced that veteran high-tech executive and investor Rami Hadar joined its Board of Directors, effective December 24, 2025. Hadar, a managing partner at Claridge Israel with more than 25 years of experience in scaling technology companies, leading strategic transformations and M&A, is expected to strengthen Nova’s governance bench and support its ongoing growth strategy in advanced semiconductor metrology and process control, reinforcing the company’s strategic positioning as it seeks to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the sector.

The most recent analyst rating on (NVMI) stock is a Buy with a $380.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Nova stock, see the NVMI Stock Forecast page.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Feb 14, 2026