IPG Photonics Corporation (NASDAQ:IPGP) Short Interest Down 19.1% in February

Key Points

• Short interest in IPG Photonics fell 19.1% in February to 2,165,139 shares, equal to about 8.5% of the stock and a days-to-cover ratio of 3.4.
• IPG beat Q4 estimates with $0.46 EPS (vs. $0.25 expected) and $274.47M revenue, set Q1 guidance of $0.10–$0.40 EPS, and carries an average analyst rating of Moderate Buy with a $122.17 price target.
• Insiders sold roughly 267,484 shares (~$20.7M) over the last three months, while still owning about 39.5% of the company.

IPG Photonics Corporation (NASDAQ:IPGP - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 2,165,139 shares, a decline of 19.1% from the February 12th total of 2,674,840 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 638,607 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Approximately 8.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 8.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 638,607 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IPGP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded IPG Photonics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of IPG Photonics in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Roth Mkm upped their price target on IPG Photonics from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of IPG Photonics in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of IPG Photonics from $92.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, IPG Photonics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $122.17.

IPG Photonics Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of IPGP stock opened at $110.95 on Friday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $107.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $90.41. IPG Photonics has a 1 year low of $48.59 and a 1 year high of $155.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 149.93, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.95.

IPG Photonics (NASDAQ:IPGP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The semiconductor company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $274.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $249.58 million. IPG Photonics had a net margin of 3.10% and a return on equity of 2.89%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.18 EPS. IPG Photonics has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.100-0.400 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that IPG Photonics will post 1.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Fibre Devices Ltd Ip sold 29,167 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.87, for a total transaction of $2,329,568.29. Following the sale, the insider owned 6,628,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $529,391,858.03. This represents a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Valentin Gapontsev Trust I sold 39,384 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.63, for a total value of $3,057,379.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 6,886,715 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $534,615,685.45. This trade represents a 0.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 267,484 shares of company stock worth $20,735,210. Insiders own 39.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On IPG Photonics

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Corient Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in IPG Photonics during the fourth quarter worth $209,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of IPG Photonics by 401.1% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 19,797 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,429,000 after purchasing an additional 15,846 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of IPG Photonics by 184.4% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 455 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of IPG Photonics by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 4,955 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $355,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in IPG Photonics in the 4th quarter valued at about $281,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.79% of the company's stock.

About IPG Photonics

IPG Photonics Corporation is a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance fiber lasers and amplifiers used in industrial, medical, scientific, and telecommunications applications. The company's core products include ytterbium and erbium fiber lasers, diode lasers, and fiber amplifiers that deliver high power and efficiency for precision cutting, welding, marking, and engraving. IPG's systems are engineered to optimize process speed, reliability, and energy consumption, making them a preferred choice for advanced manufacturing environments.

In addition to stand-alone laser sources, IPG offers turnkey laser systems and integrated solutions tailored to sectors such as automotive, electronics, aerospace, additive manufacturing, and life sciences.

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