nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) Trading 5.8% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• nLight's stock price increased by 5.8% after Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target from $27.50 to $33.50, indicating strong analyst support with an overweight rating.
• Multiple brokerages have raised their price targets on nLight, with the consensus rating currently at "Buy" and an average target price of $27.42.
• Insider trading activity included significant share sales by the CFO and CEO, who sold a total of over $2 million worth of shares, reducing their holdings in the company.

nLight (NASDAQ:LASR - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 5.8% on Monday after Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on the stock from $27.50 to $33.50. Cantor Fitzgerald currently has an overweight rating on the stock. nLight traded as high as $30.56 and last traded at $30.32. 289,958 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 54% from the average session volume of 634,504 shares. The stock had previously closed at $28.67.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on LASR. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of nLight from $12.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Benchmark upped their target price on shares of nLight from $15.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "speculative buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Craig Hallum restated a "buy" rating and issued a $24.00 target price (up from $14.00) on shares of nLight in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of nLight in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on shares of nLight from $18.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have issued a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, nLight has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $27.42.

Insider Buying and Selling at nLight

In related news, CFO Joseph John Corso sold 38,284 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.29, for a total transaction of $1,083,054.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 273,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,726,508.22. This trade represents a 12.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Scott H. Keeney sold 35,732 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.29, for a total transaction of $1,010,858.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,513,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,113,534.86. This represents a 1.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 368,019 shares of company stock valued at $9,641,577. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of nLight

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in nLight by 147.6% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,550 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 924 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew 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 buying an additional 1,727 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in nLight by 162.4% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,747 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Militia Capital Partners LP acquired a new stake in nLight during the second quarter valued at $71,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in nLight by 213.8% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,764 shares of the company's stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 3,246 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.88% of the company's stock.

nLight Trading Up 5.6%

The company has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -31.73 and a beta of 2.44. The company has a quick ratio of 4.41, a current ratio of 5.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company's 50-day moving average is $23.98 and its 200 day moving average is $16.04.

nLight (NASDAQ:LASR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by $0.15. nLight had a negative net margin of 21.66% and a negative return on equity of 19.12%. The company had revenue of $61.74 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.24 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.10) earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. nLight has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. Research analysts predict that nLight will post -1.1 EPS for the current year.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.