nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.12 EPS

Key Points

• nLight beat Q1 expectations: The company reported adjusted EPS of $0.20, topping the consensus estimate of $0.08, while revenue of $80.18 million also exceeded forecasts and rose 55.2% year over year.
• Aerospace and defense drove growth: Management said strength in A&D was a major contributor, with record product gross margin and record adjusted EBITDA in the quarter. The new HADES directed-energy product line adds a potential long-term growth catalyst.
• Guidance and cash position were mixed: nLight guided Q2 revenue to $75 million to $81 million, signaling continued momentum but a softer margin and EBITDA outlook versus Q1. The company also raised more than $190 million net in February and ended the quarter with about $333 million in cash.

nLight (NASDAQ:LASR - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.12, FiscalAI reports. nLight had a negative return on equity of 5.17% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The firm had revenue of $80.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.14 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.04) EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 55.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Here are the key takeaways from nLight's conference call:

• Q1 beat expectations: Total revenue was $80.2M (+55% YoY) with A&D revenue of $51.1M (+69% YoY), record product gross margin (~44%) and record adjusted EBITDA of $13.9M, plus positive operating cash flow.
• HADES launch: The company introduced a production-ready, scalable coherent-beam-combined (CBC) laser portfolio with integrated atmospheric correction designed to scale to hundreds of kilowatts and underpins the 1 MW HELSI-2 effort (on track).
• Balance sheet strengthened: Raised over $190M net in February and finished Q1 with ~$333M cash to fund a new 50,000 sq ft Longmont manufacturing facility, supply-chain investments, hiring, and product development.
• Near-term guidance and mix risks: Q2 guidance of $75M–$81M revenue (midpoint $78M), product gross margin guide of 37%–41% and adjusted EBITDA guide of $8M–$12M imply moderation from Q1 levels, while development-margin variability and exit from legacy cutting/welding could pressure short-term results.

nLight Price Performance

NASDAQ:LASR traded up $7.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $73.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,786,882 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,104,756. nLight has a 1 year low of $10.55 and a 1 year high of $86.95. The stock has a market cap of $4.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -246.36 and a beta of 2.34. The business's fifty day moving average is $65.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.73.

Key Stories Impacting nLight

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on LASR shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of nLight in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. William Blair started coverage on nLight in a research report on Friday, March 27th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on nLight from $40.00 to $62.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on nLight in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of nLight in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $67.81.

Insider Buying and Selling at nLight

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LASR. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in nLight by 1,599.1% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,835 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,727 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its position in nLight by 7,142.9% during the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,014 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in nLight during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Militia Capital Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of nLight in the second quarter worth about $71,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position in shares of nLight by 120.5% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,509 shares of the company's stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 1,371 shares during the period. 83.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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