nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $67.8125.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LASR. William Blair initiated coverage on nLight in a research report on Friday, March 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $81.00 target price on shares of nLight in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on nLight from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of nLight in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded nLight from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday.

nLight Stock Up 11.7%

Shares of LASR opened at $73.91 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.17 billion, a PE ratio of -246.36 and a beta of 2.34. The business has a fifty day moving average of $65.58 and a 200 day moving average of $48.73. nLight has a 52-week low of $10.55 and a 52-week high of $86.95.

nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $80.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $72.14 million. nLight had a negative return on equity of 5.17% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.nLight’s revenue was up 55.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.04) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that nLight will post -0.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key nLight News

Here are the key news stories impacting nLight this week:

• Positive Sentiment: nLight posted Q1 EPS of $0.20 versus the $0.08 consensus estimate, while revenue of $80.18 million topped expectations and rose 55.2% year over year, signaling much stronger demand for its laser products. nLIGHT, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company also issued Q2 revenue guidance of $75 million to $81 million, above the Street’s estimate, which suggests momentum may continue into the next quarter. nLIGHT, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management said results were driven by strength in aerospace and defense, and the launch of the new HADES directed-energy product line adds another growth catalyst tied to military demand. nLIGHT, Inc. Launches HADES™ Line of Directed Energy Products
• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target on LASR to $80 from $70 and reiterated a buy rating, reinforcing bullish analyst sentiment after the earnings report. Benzinga report
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted the company’s Q1 outperformance and defense-demand momentum, but did not add materially new fundamentals beyond the earnings release. nLight (LASR) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Joseph John Corso sold 12,290 shares of nLight stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.39, for a total transaction of $742,193.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 170,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,320,409.44. This trade represents a 6.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Raymond A. Link sold 6,644 shares of nLight stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.28, for a total value of $420,432.32. Following the sale, the director owned 77,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,883,444.16. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 130,780 shares of company stock valued at $8,032,729 in the last three months. 3.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of nLight

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of nLight during the first quarter worth $52,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of nLight by 7,142.9% during the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of nLight by 155.9% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 647 shares during the period. Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new position in shares of nLight during the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of nLight by 7,871.4% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,116 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 1,102 shares during the period. 83.88% of the stock is currently owned by 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.