nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $40.00.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of nLight from $33.50 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on nLight from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on nLight in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research lowered nLight from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of nLight in a report on Thursday, January 22nd.

nLight Stock Up 4.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:LASR opened at $49.98 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -56.80 and a beta of 2.33. The company has a 50 day moving average of $39.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.51. nLight has a 52-week low of $6.20 and a 52-week high of $50.78. The company has a quick ratio of 4.36, a current ratio of 5.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Insider Activity at nLight

In other nLight news, CAO James Nias sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total transaction of $36,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 99,512 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,985,360. This trade represents a 1.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Joseph John Corso sold 66,075 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.32, for a total transaction of $2,399,844.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 196,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,126,855.68. The trade was a 25.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 141,262 shares of company stock worth $5,101,910 in the last ninety days. 6.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On nLight

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in nLight by 147.6% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 924 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of nLight by 1,599.1% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,727 shares in the last quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. bought a new stake in shares of nLight in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of nLight in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of nLight by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,225 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.88% of the company’s stock.

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.