NEW YORK, January 3, 2026, 20:47 ET — Market closed
- Novanta shares fell 6.6% on Friday, the first U.S. session of 2026, closing at $111.14.
- The drop came in a holiday-thinned market as U.S. stocks ended mixed and Treasury yields climbed.
- Investors are watching Jan. 14 conference presentations and next week’s U.S. jobs and inflation data for direction.
Novanta Inc. shares fell 6.6% on Friday, closing at $111.14 after touching an intraday low of $110.25, according to data from Twelve Data.
The move stood out because it landed on the first trading day of 2026, when many investors were still returning from year-end breaks and liquidity can be thinner. U.S. stocks finished mixed in that session as Treasury yields rose.
“Today is kind of a holiday trading day, lighter volumes, people not engaged normally,” said Jed Ellerbroek, portfolio manager at Argent Capital in St. Louis. Reuters
Novanta opened at $119.89 and never regained its footing, ending the day near the bottom of its $110.25 to $119.89 range. Volume was about 662,700 shares.
The slide pushed the stock below the $120 area it had recently traded around, after a string of late-December closes near $119 to $123.
Novanta sells core technology solutions to medical, life science and advanced industrial equipment makers, the company says, exposing it to shifts in end-market demand and capital spending cycles.
With no fresh company announcements flagged in the past two weeks on its investor relations news feed, investors have shifted focus to near-term events where executives could reset expectations for 2026.
Management is scheduled to present on January 14 at the J.P. Morgan 44th Annual Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, with CEO Matthijs Glastra and CFO Robert Buckley slated to speak, the company said in a press release.
That same day, COO Chuck Ravetto is set to participate in CJS Securities’ investor conference, also disclosed by the company.
On earnings timing, Nasdaq and Zacks currently peg Novanta’s next quarterly report around February 24, though those calendars note the date is not confirmed by the company.
Before next session
Macro data could matter as much as company-specific updates. Reuters said investors are watching the monthly U.S. employment report due January 9 and the consumer price index due January 13 for clues on the pace of rate cuts in 2026.
Rate expectations feed directly into valuations for smaller growth and industrial-technology names, and Reuters noted the market “is looking for direction” after finishing 2025 near the same level as late October. Reuters
On the charts, traders often watch Friday’s low near $110 as immediate support and the $120 zone as a first resistance level after the stock’s break lower; a return above that area would suggest selling pressure is easing.
