AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) Sets New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Friday after Wedbush raised their price target on the stock from $8.50 to $28.00. Wedbush currently has an outperform rating on the stock. AXT traded as high as $29.45 and last traded at $29.8340, with a volume of 2331744 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.81.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Needham & Company LLC downgraded AXT from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Northland Securities set a $20.00 price objective on shares of AXT in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Craig Hallum reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AXT in a research note on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group set a $35.00 target price on shares of AXT in a report on Tuesday. Finally, B. Riley Financial cut shares of AXT from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $9.00 to $18.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David C. Chang sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.84, for a total transaction of $371,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 132,744 shares in the company, valued at $1,969,920.96. The trade was a 15.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Morris S. Young sold 35,000 shares of AXT stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.05, for a total transaction of $421,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,495,564 shares in the company, valued at $30,071,546.20. This represents a 1.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 110,000 shares of company stock worth $1,369,000. 8.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More AXT News

Here are the key news stories impacting AXT this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush raised its price target on AXT from $8.50 to $28.00 and initiated/maintains an “outperform” rating, implying ~17.6% upside from the reference price cited. This analyst upgrade is likely supporting buying interest. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: AXT published its Q4/FY2025 results and management commentary in a Business Wire release; the company noted fewer export permits than hoped in Q4 but said some permits have arrived in 2026 and management expects sequential revenue recovery. This provides context but leaves uncertainty around timing. Business Wire
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 2025 earnings call transcript is available for investors who want management commentary and color from the call. May help investors assess execution and export-permit progress. Seeking Alpha Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: AXT missed Q4 expectations: reported EPS of ($0.08) vs. consensus ($0.04) loss, and revenue of $23.04M vs. $24.24M expected. The miss and continued negative margins/ROE are downward earnings surprises that can pressure the stock. Zacks
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage and analysis note that export-permit hurdles (critical for shipments to certain customers and for AI chip material demand) cloud the near-term outlook — a fundamental headwind for revenue momentum. Investing.com
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional selling: Pacific Ridge Capital Partners sold ~1.7M AXT shares previously held, eliminating its stake — a sign some funds are locking gains or reducing exposure after recent run-ups. The Motley Fool
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in the feed appears inconsistent (shows zero shares/NaN changes) and likely isn’t meaningful; short-interest trends should be checked on official exchange filings.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AXT

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in AXT by 12.4% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 22,952 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 2,540 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in AXT by 30.1% in the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,967 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 3,467 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in AXT in the 4th quarter valued at about $69,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AXT during the fourth quarter worth about $98,000. Finally, Algert Global LLC raised its position in shares of AXT by 31.9% in the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 28,800 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $129,000 after buying an additional 6,970 shares during the last quarter. 49.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AXT Stock Up 24.8%

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $19.48 and its 200-day moving average is $10.73. The firm has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of -57.38 and a beta of 1.96.

AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.08) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($0.04). AXT had a negative return on equity of 11.19% and a negative net margin of 25.22%.The business had revenue of $23.04 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.24 million. On average, analysts forecast that AXT Inc will post -0.12 earnings per share for the current year.

About AXT

AXT, Inc (NASDAQ: AXTI) is a global supplier of compound and single-element semiconductor substrates, offering a range of materials critical for high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Fremont, California, AXT specializes in the development, manufacture and distribution of wafers composed of gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP), gallium nitride (GaN) and other compound semiconductor materials. These substrates serve as the foundational platforms for devices used in data communications, wireless infrastructure, advanced computing, consumer electronics and photovoltaic applications.

AXT’s product portfolio encompasses a variety of wafer sizes, dopant concentrations and crystal orientations, tailored to meet the precise specifications of its customers.