6-K

FORM 6-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549
Report of Foreign Private Issuer
Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16
of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934

November 10th , 2004

NOVA MEASURING INSTRUMENTS LTD.

Building 22 Weitzmann Science Park, Rehovoth
P.O.B 266

[Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file
annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

Form 20-F x Form 40-F o

[Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the
information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the
information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Yes o No x

If“Yes” is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the
registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): N/A.

Attached hereto and incorporated by way of reference herein the Registrants notice regarding 2004 Third Quarter Results


Signatures

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

November 10th, 2004 Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd
Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd (the “Registrant”)

BY: /S/ Chai Toren
——————————————
Chai Toren
Chief Financial Officer





Company Contact:
Chai Toren, CFO and Vice President Finance
Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd.
Tel: 972-8-938-7505
E-mail: info@nova.co.il
http://www.nova.co.il
Investor relations Contacts:
Ehud Helft / Kenny Green
GK International Investor Relations
Tel: +1-866-704-6710
E-mail : Ehud@gk-biz.com
              Kenny@gk-biz.com

Company Press Release

Nova Measuring Instruments Announces 2004 Third Quarter Results,
Continuing Trend of Growth in Revenue, Margins and Profit

Rehovoth, Israel, – November 10, 2004 – Nova Measuring Instruments, Ltd. (Nasdaq: NVMI), the market leader in integrated measurement and process control for the semiconductor industry, today reported results for the third quarter of 2004.

2004 Third Quarter Results

        Total revenues for the third quarter of 2004 were $10.7 million, a 45% increase over revenues of $7.4 million reported for the third quarter of 2003 and a 5% sequential increase over revenues of $10.2 million reported for the second quarter of 2004. Total revenues for the first 9 months of 2004 were $30.1 million, a 62% increase over revenues of $18.6 million reported for the first three quarters of 2003.

        The Company reported a gross profit of $5.1 million compared with gross profit of $3.1 million for the third quarter of 2003 and gross profit of $4.7 million for the previous quarter. This represents a sequential and year-over-year improvement in gross margins. Gross margin for the third quarter of 2004 was 47.4% compared with 41.6% for the third quarter of 2003 and 46.0% for the previous quarter.

        Research and development expenses were $2.1 million (20% of revenues) compared with $1.8 million (25% of revenues) in the third quarter of 2003, and $2.0 million (20% of revenues) in the second quarter of 2004. Sales and marketing expenses were $1.8 million (16% of revenues) as compared with $1.7 million (23% of revenues) in the third quarter of 2003, and $1.7 million (16% of revenues) in the second quarter of 2004. General and Administrative expenses remained more or less flat at US$0.6 million during the third quarter of 2004, compared with US$0.5 million in the third quarter of 2003 and US$0.6 million during the previous quarter.



        Operating income for the quarter was $0.6 million (5.6% of revenues), compared with operating loss of $0.9 million for the third quarter of 2003 and $0.4 million (3.4% of revenues) as reported in the previous quarter.

        Net income for the quarter was $0.8 million or $0.05 per share, compared with a net loss of $0.8 million, or $0.06 per share, for the third quarter of 2003 and profit of $0.5 million, or $0.03 per share, for the second quarter of 2004.

        Cash and cash equivalents, bank deposits and held to maturity securities at the end of the quarter were $30.9 million, an increase of $1.6 million compared to the previous quarter.

        Dr. Giora Dishon, President & CEO of Nova commented, “The third quarter results reflect continuous improvements and growth in the company. It is the third consecutive quarter with growing net income and the 13th quarter of continuous growth (excluding the first quarter of 2003). The company has achieved a gradual increase in net profit and 2004 year to date profit is $1.3 million or 4% of the first 9 months revenues. The continuing improvement in our financial performance has been in line with the outlook we provided at the beginning of the July quarter. For the fourth quarter of 2004, as previosuly guided, we expect revenues to remain flat sequentially. As we have explained, this is due to the current limited visibility in the semiconductor equipment market. “

Dr. Dishon added, “The market is experiencing a moderate downturn and the various market research reports indicate a 5-20% decline for the semiconductor equipment sector in 2005. However, with the growing usage of Integrated Metrology, our expansion into new areas such as Copper CMP and Etch, and with maintaining over 60% market share in the integrated metrology market, we expect to continue to grow in the next year.”

The Company will host a conference call today, November 10, 2004, at 14:00 EST. To participate please dial in the U.S: 1-866-500-4964 or internationally: +972-3-925-5910 at least 5 minutes before the start of the call. A conference call presentation will be available for download on the company’s website www.nova.co.il, before and during the call.



About Nova
Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd. develops, designs and produces integrated process control systems in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Nova provides a broad range of integrated process control solutions that link between different semiconductor processes and process equipment. The Company’s website is www.nova.co.il.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements related to anticipated growth rates, manufacturing capacity and tax rate. Actual results may differ materially from those projected due to a number of risks, including changes in customer demands for our products, new product offerings from our competitors, changes in or an inability to execute our business strategy, unanticipated manufacturing or supply problems, or changes in tax requirements. Nova cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The matters discussed in this press release also involve risks and uncertainties summarized under the heading “Risk Factors” in Nova’s Form F-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 9, 2000. These factors are updated from time to time through the filing of reports and registration statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd. does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.

(Tables to Follow)



NOVA MEASURING INSTRUMENTS LTD.
INTERIM CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
SEQUENTIAL COMPARISON
(U.S.dollars in thousands, except per share data)

Three months ended
September 30, 2004
June 30, 2004
(unaudited)
REVENUES:            
    Product sales    8,602    7,921  
    Services    2,083    2,296  


             10,685    10,217  


COST OF REVENUES:  
    Product sales    3,916    3,784  
    Services    1,702    1,729  


              5,618    5,513  



    GROSS PROFIT
    5,067    4,704  


OPERATING EXPENSES  
    Research & Development expenses, net    2,124    2,045  
    Sales & Marketing expenses    1,751    1,666  
    General & Administrative expenses    591    641  


                4,466    4,352  



       OPERATING PROFIT (LOSS)
    601    352  

INTEREST INCOME
    160    98  



       NET INCOME FOR THE PERIOD
    761    450  



EARNINGS PER SHARE
    0.05    0.03  


Comments:  
    1. Employee Stock Based Compensation expenses     -     -  


    2. Shares for calculation of earnings (loss) per  
        share  
        Basic and Diluted    15,268    15,261  


    3. The adjusted results excluding Employee Stock  
        Based Compensation:          
              Gross profit    5,067    4,704  
              Operating expenses    4,466    4,352  
              Net Income    761    450  
              Earnings per share    0.05    0.03  



NOVA MEASURING INSTRUMENTS LTD.
INTERIM CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
YEAR-OVER-YEAR COMPARISON

(U.S. dollars in thousands, except per share data)

Three months ended
September 30, 2004
September 30, 2003
(unaudited)
REVENUES:            
    Product sales    8,602    5,827  
    Services    2,083    1,565  


     10,685    7,392  


  
COST OF REVENUES:  
    Product sales    3,916    2,794  
    Services    1,702    1,526  


     5,618    4,320  


  
    GROSS PROFIT    5,067    3,072  


  
OPERATING EXPENSES  
    Research & Development expenses, net    2,124    1,813  
    Sales & Marketing expenses    1,751    1,727  
    General & Administrative expenses    591    466  


     4,466    4,006  


  
  
       OPERATING PROFIT (LOSS)    601    (934 )
  
INTEREST INCOME    160    87  


  
       NET INCOME (LOSS) FOR THE PERIOD    761    (847 )


  
EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE    0.05    (0.06 )


  
Comments:  
    1.Employee Stock Based Compensation expenses    -    134  


    2.Shares for calculation of earnings (loss) per  
        share Basic and Diluted    15,268    14,988  


    3.The adjusted results excluding employee  
       Stock Based Compensation:  
              Gross profit    5,067    3,088  
              Operating expenses    4,466    3,888  
              Net Income (Loss)    761    (713 )
              Earnings (Loss) per share    0.05    (0.05 )



NOVA MEASURING INSTRUMENTS LTD.
INTERIM CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

(U.S. dollars in thousands, except per share data)

Nine months ended
September 30, 2004
September 30, 2003
(unaudited)
REVENUES:            
    Product sales    23,994    14,644  
    Services    6,080    3,954  


     30,074    18,598  


  
COST OF REVENUES:  
    Product sales    11,305    7,129  
    Services    4,933    4,458  


     16,238    11,587  


  
    GROSS PROFIT    13,836    7,011  


  
RATING EXPENSES  
    Research & Development expenses, net    6,295    5,570  
    Sales & Marketing expenses    4,920    5,018  
    General & Administrative expenses    1,689    1,540  


     12,904    12,128  


  
  
       OPERATING PROFIT (LOSS)    932    (5,117 )
  
INTEREST INCOME    348    328  


  
       NET INCOME (LOSS) FOR THE PERIOD    1,280    (4,789 )
  
EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE    0.08    (0.32 )


  
Comments:  
    1. Employee Stock Based Compensation expenses    -    407  


    2. Shares for calculation of earnings (loss)  
        per share Basic and Diluted    15,251    14,953  


    3. The adjusted results excluding employee  
         Stock Based Compensation:  
         Gross profit    13,836    7,060  
         Operating expenses    12,904    11,770  
         Net Income (Loss)    1,280    (4,382 )
         Earnings (Loss) per share    0.08    (0.29 )



NOVA MEASURING INSTRUMENTS LTD.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET

(U.S. dollars in thousands)

As of September 30,
As of December 31, 2003
2004
(unaudited)
CURRENT ASSETS            
    Cash and cash equivalents    14,499    26,634  
    Short-term interest-bearing bank deposits    2,033    711  
    Held to maturity securities    3,499    4,296  
    Trade accounts receivable    8,106    5,804  
    Inventories    4,467    4,152  
    Other current assets    1,290    1,244  


     33,894    42,841  


  
LONG-TERM ASSETS  
    Long-term interest-bearing bank deposits    501    1,386  
    Held to maturity securities    10,416    -  
    Other long- term assets    298    242  
    Severance pay funds    2,190    2,024  
    Fixed assets, net    1,521    1,425  


     14,926    5,077  


     48,820    47,918  


  
CURRENT LIABILITIES  
    Trade accounts payable    5,053    5,389  
    Other current liabilities    6,145    7,102  
     11,198    12,491  


  
LONG-TERM LIABILITIES  
    Liability for employee termination benefits    2,975    2,653  
    Deferred Income    355    263  
    Other long-term liability    143    175  


     3,473    3,091  


  
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY  
     Share capital    46    46  
     Additional paid-in capital    73,216    72,785  
     Deferred stock-based compensation    -    (122 )
    Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)       (7 )   13  
    Accumulated deficit    (39,106 )  (40,386 )


     34,149    32,336  


     48,820    47,918