New York, Jan 6, 2026, 13:26 EST — Regular session
- Camtek shares jump about 7.5% and touch an intraday high near $134.80
- Needham raises its price target to $135, pointing to momentum in HBM-linked demand
- Investors look ahead to U.S. jobs data on Jan. 9 and Camtek’s next earnings update
Camtek Ltd shares jumped 7.5% to $133.18 in afternoon trade on Tuesday, pushing the chip inspection equipment maker to a fresh high. Needham raised its price target to $135 from $125, according to a summary of analyst actions.
The move comes as chip-related stocks climb broadly, extending a Wall Street rally that has leaned on technology names. Investors are also bracing for December nonfarm payrolls data on Friday, a key gauge of U.S. job growth that can shift interest-rate bets.
Needham analyst Charles Shi wrote that high-bandwidth memory, or HBM — stacked memory used in AI accelerators — is moving beyond simple stacking, helping sustain demand. He urged investors to “look for names in this space that has been forgotten for a while,” saying back-end tools used in packaging and testing may outperform front-end wafer-fab gear in 2026. TipRanks
Camtek’s gains outpaced the iShares Semiconductor ETF, up about 2.8%, and the VanEck Semiconductor ETF, up about 2.5%. Shares of peers Onto Innovation and KLA were up about 4.6% and 3.4%, while Nova rose about 1.3%.
Camtek sells inspection and metrology systems — tools that measure chip features and flag defects — used from wafer production through early-stage assembly. In November, the company forecast fourth-quarter revenue of about $127 million and CEO Rafi Amit cited “increasing demand for high-performance computing for AI applications.” Camtek
The rally has carried the stock above its prior 52-week high of $129.41 and well above its 50-day moving average near $110.78, a trend marker based on recent closing prices.
But the move also raises the bar for the next set of results and guidance. Any sign that packaging-related spending is cooling — or that customers are delaying tool deliveries — could hit orders quickly, especially if a rebound in bond yields weighs on high-multiple chip names.
