Insider Selling: Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) CFO Sells 1,423 Shares of Stock

Novanta Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVT) CFO Robert Buckley sold 1,423 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 93,814 shares in the company, valued at $13,216,516.32. This represents a 1.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

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 Trading Down 3.5%

NOVT traded down $4.94 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $137.44. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 529,253 shares, compared to its average volume of 452,701. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 93.50 and a beta of 1.62. Novanta Inc. has a twelve month low of $98.27 and a twelve month high of $153.20. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $132.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The technology company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. Novanta had a net margin of 5.50% and a return on equity of 14.53%. The company had revenue of $258.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $260.72 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $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. Analysts anticipate that Novanta Inc. will post 3.03 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on NOVT shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Novanta from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Zacks Research raised Novanta from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $133.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NOVT. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Novanta by 75.9% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,399,462 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $155,536,000 after acquiring an additional 604,055 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Novanta in the third quarter worth about $59,153,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Novanta by 187.3% in the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 736,954 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $87,691,000 after purchasing an additional 480,413 shares in the last quarter. Sculptor Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Novanta in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,265,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Novanta during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,719,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.35% of the company’s stock.

Novanta News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Novanta this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat consensus: Novanta reported $0.91 EPS vs. $0.88 expected, showing profitability improvement year-over-year and supporting the stock’s recent momentum. MarketBeat Q4 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and net income rose YoY: Q4 revenue was $258.3M (up ~8.5% YoY) and net income increased, reflecting continued top-line growth in Novanta’s end markets. Business Wire Release
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance roughly in line: Novanta set FY26 EPS guidance of $3.50–$3.65 (consensus ~3.61), so the annual outlook largely overlaps street expectations even though the midpoint is slightly below. Yahoo Finance Valuation Take
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/preview coverage and commentary are active: several articles reviewed what to watch in the print and provided valuation context for recent share price momentum. Useful for investors re‑assessing expectations. MSN Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 guidance missed: management guided Q1 FY26 EPS to $0.75–$0.80 vs. the street at ~$0.85, and revenue guidance $250–$255M (vs. ~$253M consensus) — softer near-term outlook pressured the stock. Stamford Advocate Snapshot
• Negative Sentiment: Weak operating cash flow and margin pressure flagged: third‑party reporting highlighted a sharp drop in cash from operations (large YoY decline) and some operating-profit contraction, which raises near-term free‑cash‑flow concerns. QuiverQuant Report
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and mixed institutional flows: filings show several insider sales in recent months and notable portfolio adjustments among institutions, which can sap investor confidence even with solid fundamentals. QuiverQuant Insider/Institutional Data

Novanta Company Profile

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.