Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 125,446 Shares of nLight $LASR

Key Points

• Vanguard increased its stake in nLight by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, adding 125,446 shares and bringing its total holdings to 4,989,758 shares, or about 9.82% of the company.
• nLight reported strong first-quarter results, posting EPS of $0.20 versus the $0.08 estimate and revenue of $80.18 million, up 55.2% year over year and above expectations.
• Analyst sentiment remains upbeat, with several firms raising targets or reiterating buy ratings; the stock now carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.81.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of nLight (NASDAQ:LASR - Free Report) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,989,758 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 125,446 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.82% of nLight worth $187,166,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LASR. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of nLight by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 27,593 shares of the company's stock worth $214,000 after acquiring an additional 1,170 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in shares of nLight by 622.7% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 77,201 shares of the company's stock worth $600,000 after acquiring an additional 66,518 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of nLight by 8.4% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 75,545 shares of the company's stock worth $1,487,000 after acquiring an additional 5,828 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of nLight by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 107,417 shares of the company's stock worth $2,114,000 after acquiring an additional 7,179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in shares of nLight during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $600,000. 83.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on LASR. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of nLight in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $81.00 target price on shares of nLight in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of nLight from $40.00 to $62.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. William Blair began coverage on shares of nLight in a research note on Friday, March 27th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of nLight in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, nLight has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $67.81.

nLight News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting nLight this week:

• Positive Sentiment: nLight posted Q1 EPS of $0.20 versus the $0.08 consensus estimate, while revenue of $80.18 million topped expectations and rose 55.2% year over year, signaling much stronger demand for its laser products. nLIGHT, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company also issued Q2 revenue guidance of $75 million to $81 million, above the Street’s estimate, which suggests momentum may continue into the next quarter. nLIGHT, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management said results were driven by strength in aerospace and defense, and the launch of the new HADES directed-energy product line adds another growth catalyst tied to military demand. nLIGHT, Inc. Launches HADES™ Line of Directed Energy Products
• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target on LASR to $80 from $70 and reiterated a buy rating, reinforcing bullish analyst sentiment after the earnings report. Benzinga report
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted the company’s Q1 outperformance and defense-demand momentum, but did not add materially new fundamentals beyond the earnings release. nLight (LASR) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates

Insider Transactions at nLight

In related news, CFO Joseph John Corso sold 12,290 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.39, for a total value of $742,193.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 170,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,320,409.44. The trade was a 6.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Raymond A. Link sold 6,644 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.28, for a total value of $420,432.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 77,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,883,444.16. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 130,780 shares of company stock worth $8,032,729 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.10% of the company's stock.

nLight Stock Performance

LASR opened at $73.91 on Monday. nLight has a fifty-two week low of $10.55 and a fifty-two week high of $86.95. The company has a market capitalization of $4.17 billion, a P/E ratio of -246.36 and a beta of 2.34. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $65.58 and a 200-day moving average of $48.73.

nLight (NASDAQ:LASR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.12. nLight had a negative return on equity of 5.17% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The company had revenue of $80.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $72.14 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.04) earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 55.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that nLight will post -0.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About nLight

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LASR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for nLight (NASDAQ:LASR - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.