nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) Price Target Raised to $80.00 at Needham & Company LLC

Key Points

• Needham & Company raised its price target on nLight to $80 (from $70) and kept a "buy" rating, implying about a 20.9% upside from the prior close.
• nLight beat Q1 expectations with $0.20 EPS vs. $0.08 consensus and $80.18M revenue (up ~55% YoY) and raised Q2 revenue guidance to $75–$81M, but the company remains unprofitable with a negative net margin and negative ROE.
• Analyst sentiment is mostly positive (consensus "Moderate Buy") with an average price target of $64.69, though individual targets vary widely (e.g., Robert W. Baird $95, Roth $81, Cantor $62.50) and one firm maintains a sell rating.

nLight (NASDAQ:LASR - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by research analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $70.00 to $80.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC's target price would indicate a potential upside of 20.86% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of nLight in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and set a $81.00 price objective on shares of nLight in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of nLight in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on nLight from $40.00 to $62.50 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, William Blair began coverage on nLight in a research note on Friday, March 27th. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $64.69.

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nLight Trading Down 7.2%

LASR stock opened at $66.19 on Friday. nLight has a twelve month low of $8.23 and a twelve month high of $80.27. The company has a market capitalization of $3.73 billion, a P/E ratio of -140.83 and a beta of 2.34. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.73.

nLight (NASDAQ:LASR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 8.98% and a negative return on equity of 9.28%. The business 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 company earned ($0.04) earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 55.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that nLight will post -0.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other nLight news, Director Raymond A. Link sold 6,644 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,883,444.16. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO James Nias sold 1,808 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.42, for a total value of $116,471.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 93,899 shares in the company, valued at $6,048,973.58. The trade was a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 130,780 shares of company stock valued at $8,032,729. 3.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On nLight

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LASR. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in nLight by 1,599.1% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,835 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 1,727 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its stake in nLight by 7,142.9% in the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,014 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in nLight by 155.9% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,062 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 647 shares during the last quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. bought a new stake in nLight in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in nLight in the third quarter valued at $41,000. 83.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

nLight News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting nLight this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: nLight reported $0.20 EPS vs. $0.08 consensus and revenue of $80.18M vs. $72.14M consensus; revenue rose ~55% YoY, described as record results. nLight (LASR) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Raised Q2 revenue guidance: Company issued revenue guidance of $75.0M–$81.0M vs. Street ~$70.9M, signaling continued top-line strength into Q2. nLight earnings release / transcript
• Positive Sentiment: New product launch (HADES™): nLight introduced a family of high‑energy directed‑energy products targeted at defense customers, which could expand higher‑margin, mission‑critical sales. nLIGHT, Inc. Launches HADES™ Line of Directed Energy Products
• Positive Sentiment: European capacity expansion: Plans to expand operations in Torino, Italy to serve European/allied demand for assembled directed‑energy solutions. nLIGHT, Inc. (LASR) Announces Expansion Plans for Existing Operations in Italy
• Neutral Sentiment: Conference call & transcript available with management color on demand trends, A&D strength, margin drivers and capital allocation; useful for assessing sustainability of results. nLIGHT (LASR) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability concerns remain: despite revenue/guidance beats, nLight reported a negative net margin (~-9%) and negative ROE; some analysts still forecast a full‑year negative EPS, leaving the company reliant on sustained revenue growth and margin improvement. nLight Trading Snapshot / Metrics

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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