Key Points
- Insider selling: CAO James Nias sold 1,808 shares at $64.42 (~$116,471), trimming his stake 1.89% to 93,899 shares, and combined with large recent sales by the CEO and a director these disclosures likely pressured sentiment.
- Operational results: nLight beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $0.14 and revenue of $81.19M (up ~71.3% YoY), though the company still shows a negative net margin (−8.98%) and negative ROE (−9.28%).
- Analyst and market context: Multiple upgrades have driven a "Moderate Buy" consensus and a mean price target of $58.31, while the stock trades near its 52‑week high ($69.52) and about 84% of shares are institutionally owned.
nLight (NASDAQ:LASR - Get Free Report) 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 transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
James Nias also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Thursday, March 5th, James Nias sold 3,249 shares of nLight stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.96, for a total transaction of $201,308.04.
nLight Stock Down 0.3%
nLight stock opened at $62.60 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -133.19 and a beta of 2.27. nLight has a 52-week low of $6.20 and a 52-week high of $69.52.
nLight (NASDAQ:LASR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $81.19 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $76.71 million. nLight had a negative net margin of 8.98% and a negative return on equity of 9.28%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 71.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.30) earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that nLight will post -1.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LASR shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded nLight from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on nLight from $40.00 to $62.50 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on nLight from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of nLight in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised nLight to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $58.31.
Get Our Latest Analysis on nLight
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LASR. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its stake in nLight by 22.3% during the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,225 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of nLight by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 22,301 shares of the company's stock worth $661,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of nLight by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 13,745 shares of the company's stock worth $516,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of nLight by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 26,574 shares of the company's stock worth $997,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in nLight by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 6,003 shares of the company's stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 443 shares during the period. 83.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
nLight News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting nLight this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst coverage is bullish — Robert W. Baird started coverage with an Outperform and $95 price target, Raymond James reiterated a strong‑buy with a $75 target, and Cantor Fitzgerald raised its target to $62.50. These upgrades support upside expectations from research desks. nLIGHT, Inc. (LASR)’s Strong Tech Stack Catches Analyst Attention
- Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed an EPS beat and strong revenue growth (revenue up ~71% Y/Y, EPS above estimates), which underpins the company's operational momentum and supports the bullish analyst outlook. MarketBeat LASR coverage
- Neutral Sentiment: Media attention and inclusion on 'best day trading' lists can increase short‑term volume and volatility but are not fundamental drivers of long‑term value. 11 best day trading stocks to buy now
- Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership is high (~84%), which can dampen share supply but also concentrate price moves when institutions rebalance. MarketBeat institutional holdings
- Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling this week: CEO Scott Keeney sold 19,096 shares (~$1.12M), Director Raymond Link sold multiple blocks (10,000; 8,760; 6,644 shares) and CAO James Nias sold 1,808 shares — these disclosed Form 4s likely pressured the stock by prompting profit‑taking or investor concern about insider timing. CEO Form 4 (SEC)
- Negative Sentiment: Market commentary specifically points to insider sales as a reason for the intraday weakness in LASR, reinforcing the negative impact of those transactions on sentiment. Why nLIGHT (LASR) Stock Is Down Today
nLight Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from InsiderTrades.com in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
