NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 15:29 ET — Regular session
- Novanta shares fell about 6% in afternoon trading, reversing after an early pop.
- The stock lagged photonics peers that were up about 5%.
- Investors are watching Jan. 14 management presentations and the next earnings timing for 2026 clues.
Novanta Inc shares were down 5.9% at $111.99 in afternoon trading on Friday, after opening near $119.89 and sliding to a session low of $110.46. The stock last traded about $7 lower on the day, with about 435,000 shares changing hands.
The drop matters because it came on the first trading day of 2026, when portfolio rebalancing can amplify moves in mid-cap industrial technology names.
It also stood out against gains in related laser and photonics stocks, leaving Novanta as a laggard even as investors chased strength elsewhere in the market.
Broader U.S. stocks were mixed as 2026 got underway, with chip shares among the bright spots, Reuters reported. “Stocks trade expensive on 18 of 20 measures, and we see elevated risks to the index level in the near term,” Savita Subramanian, Bank of America’s equity and quant strategist, wrote in a note cited by Reuters. Reuters
Novanta’s decline contrasted with gains in peers Coherent, IPG Photonics and MKS Instruments, which were up about 5% each in afternoon trading.
Novanta supplies core technology solutions used by medical, life science and advanced industrial original equipment manufacturers, the company says. It has businesses spanning precision medicine, precision manufacturing and robotics and automation.
Investors have a near-term checkpoint on Jan. 14, when Chair and Chief Executive Officer Matthijs Glastra and Chief Financial Officer Robert Buckley are scheduled to present at the J.P. Morgan 44th Annual Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, the company said.
The same day, Chief Operating Officer Chuck Ravetto is set to participate in the CJS Securities “New Ideas for the New Year” investor conference, which the company said will be held virtually. Business Wire
With no fresh company news listed after the mid-December conference announcements, traders are likely to treat those January events as the next chance for management to address demand trends across medical and industrial end markets and any 2026 watchpoints.
