Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI)

AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Traders acquired 6,246 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 66% compared to the average volume of 3,767 call options.

Insider Transactions at AXT

In related news, CEO Morris S. Young sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.05, for a total value 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. The sale 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 the 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 transaction, the director owned 132,744 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,969,920.96. This trade represents a 15.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 110,000 shares of company stock worth $1,369,000 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 8.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AXT

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in AXT in the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AXT in the third quarter valued at about $52,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of AXT in the fourth quarter valued at about $69,000. Creative Planning purchased a new position in shares of AXT in the second quarter worth about $86,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in AXT during the fourth quarter worth about $98,000. 49.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AXTI shares. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of AXT in a research report on Friday. Needham & Company LLC lowered AXT from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Northland Securities set a $20.00 price target on AXT in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Wedbush upped their price objective on AXT from $8.50 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Craig Hallum reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AXT in a report on Friday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.20.

Key Headlines Impacting AXT

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.

AXT Stock Performance

AXT stock traded up $5.79 during trading on Friday, reaching $29.60. The company had a trading volume of 6,201,169 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,492,697. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $19.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of -56.04 and a beta of 1.96. AXT has a 1-year low of $1.13 and a 1-year high of $30.80.

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

AXT Company Profile

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.