nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Needham & Company LLC Analyst Says

nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) had its price target boosted by equities research analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $48.00 to $70.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 11.20% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on LASR. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on nLight in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded nLight from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on nLight from $33.50 to $40.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of nLight from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their target price on shares of nLight from $44.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, nLight presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.14.

nLight Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LASR opened at $62.95 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $45.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 4.36 and a current ratio of 5.63. nLight has a one year low of $6.20 and a one year high of $62.98. The firm has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a PE ratio of -71.53 and a beta of 2.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at nLight

In related news, CEO Scott H. Keeney sold 31,748 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.51, for a total value of $1,190,867.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,285,020 shares in the company, valued at $85,711,100.20. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Joseph John Corso sold 66,075 shares of nLight stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.32, for a total value of $2,399,844.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 196,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,126,855.68. This represents a 25.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 127,502 shares of company stock worth $4,622,166. 4.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On nLight

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust purchased a new stake in shares of nLight in the third quarter valued at approximately $8,626,000. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in nLight by 161,736.7% in the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 79,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,350,000 after acquiring an additional 79,251 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in nLight by 48,328.6% during the second quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 13,532 shares in the last quarter. Harvey Partners LLC grew its position in shares of nLight by 1.7% in the second quarter. Harvey Partners LLC now owns 2,107,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,473,000 after purchasing an additional 34,348 shares during the period. Finally, Bosun Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of nLight in the second quarter valued at about $599,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.88% of the company’s stock.

More nLight News

Here are the key news stories impacting nLight this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and top-line beat — nLight reported roughly $81.2M in Q4 revenue (up ~71% YoY), above consensus estimates, showing continued demand strength. Zacks: Q4 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Raised Q1 revenue outlook — nLight issued Q1 revenue guidance of about $70–$76M versus a consensus near $66.9M, signaling continued revenue momentum. Yahoo: Beats Expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional interest — recent 13F filings show a new position by Bleakley Financial Group, indicating some institutional accumulation. DefenseWorld: Bleakley takes position
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually large options volume — flow suggests heightened short-term trading and hedging interest, which can amplify moves in either direction. American Banking News: Options Volume
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call and transcripts available for detail — management walked through drivers and margins on the call; read the transcript for guidance nuance. Seeking Alpha: Q4 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed/weak EPS and profitability metrics — investors reacted to mixed earnings figures: while some outlets record adjusted EPS beats, GAAP/pro forma EPS and margins were weak (MarketBeat noted a GAAP EPS miss and negative net margin/ROE), which pressured the stock. MarketBeat: Earnings details and margins
• Negative Sentiment: Market sold off despite beats — several reports highlight that shares tumbled after the print, suggesting traders focused more on profitability/adjustments and near-term margin outlook than on revenue strength. Seeking Alpha: Stock tumbles despite results

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.