LightPath Technologies (NASDAQ:LPTH) Trading 8% Higher - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• LightPath shares jumped about 8% to $13.83 on Friday with 1.43M shares traded (roughly 49% below average), valuing the company at roughly $790.6M and reflecting a negative P/E of -26.35.
• Analysts are mixed but tilted positive: several firms (HC Wainwright, Lake Street, Canaccord) raised targets to $14–$15 and issued buy ratings, while the consensus on MarketBeat is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $13.75.
• Significant insider selling has occurred recently — a director sold 595,573 shares at $12.53 and insiders sold 2,131,247 shares (≈$26.1M) in the past 90 days, though insiders still own 24.8% of the stock.

LightPath Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LPTH - Get Free Report) shares traded up 8% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $13.99 and last traded at $13.83. 1,431,399 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 49% from the average session volume of 2,796,394 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.81.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on LightPath Technologies from $10.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of LightPath Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Lake Street Capital lifted their target price on LightPath Technologies from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered LightPath Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on LightPath Technologies in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. They set a "buy" rating and a $15.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three 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.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $13.75.

LightPath Technologies Stock Up 6.9%

The firm has a market cap of $790.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.35 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 3.97, a quick ratio of 3.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $12.03 and a 200-day moving average of $10.35.

Insider Transactions at LightPath Technologies

In related news, Director Run Strategic Opportunit North sold 595,573 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.53, for a total transaction of $7,462,529.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,393,395 shares in the company, valued at $42,519,239.35. The trade was a 14.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,131,247 shares of company stock worth $26,122,799. Insiders own 24.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of LightPath Technologies

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in LightPath Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at $953,000. Portolan Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in LightPath Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at $12,939,000. HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in LightPath Technologies by 141.0% during the 3rd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 200,000 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,586,000 after acquiring an additional 117,000 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new stake in LightPath Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at $8,445,000. Finally, Calamos Advisors LLC bought a new stake in LightPath Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,322,000. Institutional investors own 56.29% of the company's stock.

About LightPath Technologies

LightPath Technologies, Inc designs, manufactures and distributes precision optical components and assemblies for a variety of commercial, industrial, defense and scientific applications. The company's portfolio includes molded glass aspheric lenses, precision glass optics, infrared lenses and assemblies, diamond-turned optics and molded polymer optics. These components are engineered to support imaging, illumination, laser delivery, detection and sensing systems across visible, ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths.

Among its core offerings, LightPath develops infrared optical solutions using materials such as germanium, zinc selenide and chalcogenide glasses for thermal imaging, night-vision devices and spectroscopy.

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