diff --git a/drivers/nvmem/core.c b/drivers/nvmem/core.c
index 6da270e8c674..c0f4324d8f7c 100644
--- a/drivers/nvmem/core.c
+++ b/drivers/nvmem/core.c
@@ -954,7 +954,8 @@ static void nvmem_shift_read_buffer_in_place(struct nvmem_cell *cell, void *buf)
 		*p-- = 0;
 
 	/* clear msb bits if any leftover in the last byte */
-	*p &= GENMASK((cell->nbits%BITS_PER_BYTE) - 1, 0);
+	if (cell->nbits % BITS_PER_BYTE)
+		*p &= GENMASK((cell->nbits % BITS_PER_BYTE) - 1, 0);
 }
 
 static int __nvmem_cell_read(struct nvmem_device *nvmem,