Gabelli Funds LLC lowered its holdings in nLight (NASDAQ:LASR - Free Report) by 57.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 70,454 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC owned 0.10% of nLight worth $1,570,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in nLight by 18.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,864,312 shares of the company's stock worth $144,130,000 after buying an additional 747,958 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in nLight in the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,778,000. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust acquired a new position in shares of nLight during the 3rd quarter valued at about $8,626,000. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in shares of nLight by 237.3% during the 2nd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 260,411 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,125,000 after acquiring an additional 183,210 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of nLight by 94.6% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 365,091 shares of the company's stock worth $7,185,000 after acquiring an additional 177,495 shares during the period. 83.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research firms recently issued reports on LASR. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of nLight in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Roth Mkm increased their price target on shares of nLight from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of nLight from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on shares of nLight from $48.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded nLight to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, nLight has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $58.31.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on LASR
nLight Stock Performance
Shares of NASDAQ:LASR opened at $66.49 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $50.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.71 billion, a P/E ratio of -141.47 and a beta of 2.27. nLight has a 1 year low of $6.20 and a 1 year high of $69.52.
nLight (NASDAQ:LASR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $81.19 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $76.71 million. nLight had a negative net margin of 8.98% and a negative return on equity of 9.28%. nLight's revenue for the quarter was up 71.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.30) earnings per share. Analysts predict that nLight will post -1.1 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Activity
In other news, CAO James Nias sold 3,249 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.96, for a total value of $201,308.04. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 95,707 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,930,005.72. This trade represents a 3.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Joseph John Corso sold 66,075 shares of nLight stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.32, for a total transaction of $2,399,844.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 196,224 shares in the company, valued at $7,126,855.68. The trade was a 25.19% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 201,391 shares of company stock valued at $9,894,318. Company insiders own 4.70% of the company's stock.
More nLight News
Here are the key news stories impacting nLight this week:
- Positive Sentiment: nLight reported a Q4 beat: revenue grew ~71% YoY and EPS topped estimates, which supports the rally and higher analyst targets. Earnings & analysis
- Positive Sentiment: The company showcased laser weapon systems to military buyers in Hawaii, drawing direct defense demand interest that can lift revenue visibility for aerospace & defense programs. Military demo article
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed but generally bullish on growth — multiple firms raised targets after results (Needham, Cantor Fitzgerald, Baird), leaving consensus at a “Moderate Buy.” Analyst coverage
- Neutral Sentiment: Insiders remain large holders overall — CEO Scott Keeney still owns millions of shares, which tempers concerns that sales equal loss of conviction. SEC Form 4
- Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales by CEO Scott Keeney (several filings: 32,239; 23,656; 19,096 shares across early March) reduce insider ownership slightly and can be viewed negatively by momentum traders. CEO sale filing
- Negative Sentiment: CFO Joseph Corso sold ~25k shares across March 5–6 (reducing his holding by ~6.7%); CAO James Nias also sold — the cluster of senior‑management sales raises governance/near‑term sentiment risk. CFO sale filing
- Negative Sentiment: Hedge fund Divisar reportedly sold ~287k shares (~$9.6M), an institutional profit‑taking move that could pressure the stock if others follow. Divisar sell article
- Negative Sentiment: Macro/valuation critique: a recent Seeking Alpha piece argues LASR is trading at a “dangerous premium,” which may encourage cautious investors to trim positions. Seeking Alpha valuation article
nLight Company Profile
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Free Report)
nLIGHT, Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and sells semiconductor and fiber lasers for industrial, microfabrication, and aerospace and defense applications. The company operates in two segments, Laser Products and Advanced Development. It offers semiconductor lasers with various ranges of power levels, wavelengths, and output fiber sizes; and programmable and serviceable fiber lasers for use in industrial and aerospace and defense applications. The company also provides laser sensors, including light detection and ranging technologies for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance applications; and fiber amplifiers, beam combination, and control systems for use in high-energy laser systems in directed energy applications.
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