Insider Selling: AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) Director Sells 20,000 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Director David Chang sold 20,000 shares of AXT at an average price of $46 on March 10 for $920,000, reducing his stake by 21.56% to 72,744 shares, according to an SEC filing.
• The sale adds to broader insider activity — CEO Morris S. Young sold ~125,893 shares (~$4.6M) on March 9 and other directors sold in early March — creating a notable insider‑selling narrative that could weigh on sentiment.
• AXT missed Q4 revenue and EPS estimates and remains unprofitable with negative margins; the stock traded near $48.18 on heavy volume while analysts' consensus is a Hold with an average target of $22.80.

AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI - Get Free Report) Director David Chang sold 20,000 shares of AXT stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.00, for a total value of $920,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 72,744 shares in the company, valued at $3,346,224. The trade was a 21.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

AXT Stock Up 1.7%

AXTI traded up $0.82 during trading on Thursday, hitting $48.18. 10,362,045 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,462,578. The firm has a market cap of $2.66 billion, a P/E ratio of -100.37 and a beta of 1.75. The stock's fifty day moving average is $26.13 and its 200 day moving average is $14.33. AXT Inc has a one year low of $1.13 and a one year high of $50.97.

AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.05) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $23.04 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.24 million. AXT had a negative return on equity of 10.59% and a negative net margin of 24.07%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AXT Inc will post -0.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about AXT

Here are the key news stories impacting AXT this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor interest in an AI/infrastructure growth narrative lifted sentiment for AXT, with commentary arguing that demand for InP and other compound substrates could justify higher multiples over time. Assessing AXT (AXTI) Valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum/bargain‑hunting: the shares have rebounded sharply after recent losses as momentum traders and value buyers stepped in, helping push the stock higher over the past sessions. AXT Climbs 14.9%
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options activity has been reported (high volume noted in recent filings/alerts); this can amplify intraday moves but does not by itself indicate direction. AXT Sees Unusually High Options Volume
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data in recent releases appears anomalous/zero and offers no clear evidence of short‑covering driving the rally (likely a reporting quirk rather than a material flow).
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling: CEO Morris S. Young sold 125,893 shares (~$4.6M) on Mar 9; sizable insider disposals can weigh on sentiment and raise questions about timing of allocations. CEO Sale SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Director selling: Director Jesse Chen sold multiple tranches in early March (totaling tens of thousands of shares), which adds to the insider‑selling narrative. Director Jesse Chen Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Put buying spike: traders purchased an unusually large number of put contracts (reported ~9,810 puts on Mar 11), signaling short‑term bearish/speculative hedging that could pressure the stock if volatility persists.
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed Q4 results: the company missed revenue and EPS expectations (Q4 revenue ~$23.0M; EPS miss), and margins remain under pressure — a reminder that near‑term fundamentals need to improve to sustain the rally. AXT Q4 Results

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised AXT from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Northland Securities set a $20.00 price target on AXT in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. UBS Group set a $35.00 price target on AXT in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on AXT from $8.50 to $28.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, B. Riley Financial upped their price objective on shares of AXT to $21.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $22.80.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AXT

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in shares of AXT in the second quarter worth $42,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AXT during the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in AXT during the 4th quarter worth about $69,000. Creative Planning bought a new position in AXT in the 2nd quarter worth about $86,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in AXT in the 4th quarter worth about $98,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.52% of the company's stock.

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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