AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: "Hold" — Five analysts rate AXT an average of Hold (1 sell, 2 hold, 2 buy) with a 12‑month average price target of $22.80.
• Significant insider selling — CEO Morris S. Young sold 159,536 shares at $43.32 (~$6.91M) and a director sold 20,000 shares at $38.53, with insiders offloading 502,278 shares (~$21.2M) in the last quarter while owning 5.97% of the stock.
• Mixed financials and volatile stock performance — AXT missed the quarter (EPS $(0.05) vs. $(0.04) expected) and revenue was $23.04M vs. $24.24M est.; the stock trades with a market cap of $4.59B, a 52‑week range of $1.14–$83.25, and recent price levels far above its 200‑day ($24.55) and 50‑day ($46.41) moving averages.

AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Hold" from the five analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $22.80.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AXTI. UBS Group set a $35.00 price objective on AXT in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. B. Riley Financial boosted their price objective on AXT to $21.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Northland Securities set a $20.00 price objective on AXT in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised AXT from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Craig Hallum reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AXT in a research report on Friday, January 9th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AXT news, CEO Morris S. Young sold 159,536 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.32, for a total transaction of $6,911,099.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,482,038 shares of the company's stock, valued at $107,521,886.16. This represents a 6.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director David C. Chang sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.53, for a total value of $770,600.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 112,744 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,344,026.32. This trade represents a 15.07% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 502,278 shares of company stock valued at $21,196,754 in the last quarter. 5.97% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AXT

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AXT by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 293,818 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $412,000 after purchasing an additional 8,039 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning bought a new stake in shares of AXT during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $86,000. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of AXT during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of AXT by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 22,952 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 2,540 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AXT during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $112,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.52% of the company's stock.

AXT Stock Performance

Shares of AXTI opened at $82.56 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.55. AXT has a 52-week low of $1.14 and a 52-week high of $83.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.59 billion, a PE ratio of -172.00 and a beta of 1.51.

AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.05) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($0.01). AXT had a negative net margin of 24.07% and a negative return on equity of 9.50%. The business had revenue of $23.04 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.24 million. Equities research analysts predict that AXT will post -0.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXT Company Profile

AXT, Inc NASDAQ: AXTI is a global supplier of compound and single-element semiconductor substrates, offering a range of materials critical for high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Fremont, California, AXT specializes in the development, manufacture and distribution of wafers composed of gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP), gallium nitride (GaN) and other compound semiconductor materials. These substrates serve as the foundational platforms for devices used in data communications, wireless infrastructure, advanced computing, consumer electronics and photovoltaic applications.

AXT's product portfolio encompasses a variety of wafer sizes, dopant concentrations and crystal orientations, tailored to meet the precise specifications of its customers.

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