nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) CAO James Nias Sells 1,808 Shares

nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) CAO James Nias sold 1,808 shares of nLight stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.42, for a total transaction of $116,471.36. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 93,899 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,048,973.58. This trade represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

James Nias also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, March 5th, James Nias sold 3,249 shares of nLight stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.96, for a total transaction of $201,308.04.

nLight Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LASR opened at $62.60 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a PE ratio of -133.19 and a beta of 2.27. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $51.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.01. nLight has a 1 year low of $6.20 and a 1 year high of $69.52.

nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $81.19 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $76.71 million. nLight had a negative net margin of 8.98% and a negative return on equity of 9.28%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 71.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.30) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that nLight will post -1.1 EPS for the current year.

More 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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LASR. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on nLight from $48.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen raised nLight from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of nLight in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on nLight in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on nLight in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $58.31.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in nLight by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 27,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,000 after buying an additional 1,170 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of nLight by 622.7% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 77,201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $600,000 after acquiring an additional 66,518 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of nLight by 100.6% during the second quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 140,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,756,000 after acquiring an additional 70,236 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of nLight by 50.7% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 468,749 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,223,000 after acquiring an additional 157,768 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of nLight by 6.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,215,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,925,000 after acquiring an additional 68,436 shares in the last quarter. 83.88% of the stock is 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.