AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $22.80.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Northland Securities set a $20.00 target price on shares of AXT in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Needham & Company LLC cut shares of AXT from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. B. Riley Financial boosted their price objective on shares of AXT to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AXT from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Wedbush raised their target price on shares of AXT from $8.50 to $28.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th.

AXT Stock Down 16.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:AXTI traded down $6.42 during trading on Friday, hitting $32.37. The stock had a trading volume of 9,839,675 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,002,079. The company has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a PE ratio of -67.44 and a beta of 1.75. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $24.46 and its 200 day moving average is $13.40. AXT has a 12 month low of $1.13 and a 12 month high of $47.03.

AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.05) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $23.04 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.24 million. AXT had a negative net margin of 24.07% and a negative return on equity of 10.59%. Equities research analysts expect that AXT will post -0.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about AXT

Here are the key news stories impacting AXT this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major institutional investors built sizable Q4 positions (e.g., Davidson Kempner, Point72, Jane Street, CloudAlpha, Alyeska), which provides underlying demand and longer?term support for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Street commentary highlights AXT’s exposure to compound?semiconductor substrates (GaAs/InP/GaN), a secular area in RF/wireless and optoelectronics that can attract growth?oriented sector buyers. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed (buy/hold/sell split) and the consensus price target sits below recent trading, so analyst notes are unlikely to be an immediate directional catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Public short?interest data appears inconsistent/zero in feeds, so there’s no clear short?squeeze explanation for today’s move; technical momentum has been strong but may be decelerating. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling this week: CEO Morris Young sold ~159,536 shares (~$6.9M at reported averages) and directors Jesse Chen and David C. Chang sold large blocks across multiple days — a strong near?term negative that likely increased selling pressure. Read More. • Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 FY2025 results missed revenue and EPS expectations (revenue ? $23.0M; EPS miss), and the company remains unprofitable with negative margins — fundamentals that justify caution until revenue/profitability trends improve. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Net insider activity in recent weeks is heavily skewed to selling with few reported buys, a governance/sentiment headwind that likely exacerbated short?term outflows and contributed to today’s decline. Read More.

Insider Activity at AXT

In related news, CEO Morris S. Young sold 159,536 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.32, for a total transaction of $6,911,099.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,482,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $107,521,886.16. This trade represents a 6.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David C. Chang sold 25,000 shares of AXT stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.84, for a total value of $371,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 132,744 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,969,920.96. The trade was a 15.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 246,810 shares of company stock valued at $9,782,640 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 8.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AXT

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in AXT by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 22,952 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 2,540 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in AXT by 30.1% during 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 in the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in AXT in the fourth quarter worth about $69,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in AXT in the fourth quarter worth about $98,000. Finally, Algert Global LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $129,000 after buying an additional 6,970 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.52% of the company’s stock.

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.