nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

by · The Markets Daily

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of nLight (NASDAQ:LASR – Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Sunday morning.

LASR has been the topic of a number of other reports. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of nLight to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of nLight from $40.00 to $62.50 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of nLight in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird started coverage on shares of nLight in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price on shares of nLight in a research report on Friday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $58.31.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on nLight

nLight Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of LASR stock opened at $62.60 on Friday. nLight has a 1 year low of $6.20 and a 1 year high of $69.52. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $51.32 and its 200-day moving average is $39.15. 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 (NASDAQ:LASR – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) 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 return on equity of 9.28% and a negative net margin of 8.98%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 71.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.30) EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that nLight will post -1.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Raymond A. Link sold 6,644 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.28, for a total transaction of $420,432.32. Following the sale, the director owned 77,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,883,444.16. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Scott H. Keeney sold 19,096 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.80, for a total value of $1,122,844.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,210,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $129,949,705.20. The trade was a 0.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 162,528 shares of company stock valued at $9,223,597 over the last ninety days. 6.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LASR. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in nLight by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,989,758 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,166,000 after buying an additional 125,446 shares during the last quarter. Harvey Partners LLC increased its position in shares of nLight by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Harvey Partners LLC now owns 2,107,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,473,000 after purchasing an additional 34,348 shares during the last quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of nLight by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 1,857,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,684,000 after buying an additional 65,000 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of nLight by 32.3% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,399,229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,485,000 after buying an additional 341,948 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AWM Investment Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of nLight by 1.9% in the second quarter. AWM Investment Company Inc. now owns 1,344,917 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,468,000 after buying an additional 25,000 shares in the last quarter. 83.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key nLight News

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

About nLight

(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.

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