Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in AXT Inc $AXTI

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group acquired 39,355 AXT shares worth approximately $2.84 million, while institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 49.52% of the company.
• AXT reported quarterly revenue of $47.59 million and EPS of $0.19, exceeding analyst expectations of $34.08 million and $0.07, respectively. The company guided for third-quarter EPS of $0.30–$0.32.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but leans positive, with an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a $77 target price; meanwhile, insiders sold 258,136 shares worth approximately $28.4 million over the past 90 days.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 39,355 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $2,837,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned 0.06% of AXT as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in AXT in the 2nd quarter valued at about $365,607,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in AXT by 161.9% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,505,354 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $85,775,000 after purchasing an additional 930,526 shares during the last quarter. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong purchased a new stake in AXT in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $22,738,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new position in AXT during the fourth quarter worth $20,187,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in AXT by 1,314.6% during the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 904,599 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $14,790,000 after purchasing an additional 840,650 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.52% of the company's stock.

AXT Price Performance

AXT stock opened at $58.63 on Friday. AXT Inc has a 1-year low of $2.75 and a 1-year high of $143.16. The stock has a market cap of $3.84 billion, a PE ratio of 2,931.50 and a beta of 1.90. The stock's fifty day moving average is $64.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.20.

AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The semiconductor company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.12. AXT had a return on equity of 0.96% and a net margin of 3.23%.The business had revenue of $47.59 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.08 million. AXT has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.300-0.320 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that AXT Inc will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AXT news, Director David C. Chang sold 8,333 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.17, for a total value of $926,379.61. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 65,165 shares in the company, valued at $7,244,393.05. This represents a 11.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jesse Chen sold 13,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.77, for a total transaction of $1,245,010.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 56,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,405,929.19. The trade was a 18.72% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 258,136 shares of company stock valued at $28,395,372. 5.97% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AXTI. B. Riley Financial dropped their price objective on AXT from $73.00 to $52.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Northland Securities set a $125.00 price objective on shares of AXT in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. UBS Group set a $90.00 price objective on shares of AXT in a report on Friday, July 31st. Needham & Company LLC raised shares of AXT from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $90.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AXT from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $77.00.

About AXT

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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