AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) Reaches New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade

AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday after B. Riley Financial raised their price target on the stock to $21.00. B. Riley Financial currently has a neutral rating on the stock. AXT traded as high as $29.45 and last traded at $29.8340, with a volume of 2331744 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.81.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen raised AXT from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Northland Securities set a $20.00 price objective on AXT in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. UBS Group set a $35.00 target price on shares of AXT in a research report on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC cut shares of AXT from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Craig Hallum reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AXT in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at AXT

In other AXT news, Director David C. Chang sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.84, for a total transaction of $371,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Morris S. Young sold 35,000 shares of AXT stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.05, for a total transaction of $421,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,495,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,071,546.20. The trade was a 1.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 110,000 shares of company stock worth $1,369,000 in the last three months. 8.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting AXT

Here are the key news stories impacting AXT this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade/price target bump: Wedbush raised its price target to $28 and kept an “outperform” rating, which added institutional credibility and buy‑side interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call buying: Traders purchased roughly 6,246 call options (about a 66% jump vs. average), signaling speculative/hedged bullish positioning that can amplify upside momentum. (Options flow reported intraday.)
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum / market coverage: AXT was mentioned among equities moving higher in broader market roundups, which can attract momentum traders and headline‑driven flows. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company press release and call: AXT filed its Q4/fiscal‑2025 results and management said export permits were lower than hoped in Q4 but that some permits have since arrived and they expect sequential revenue improvement; that commentary reduces uncertainty if permits continue to clear. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Full call transcripts published (MSN, Seeking Alpha) — provide detail for investors evaluating management’s tone, guidance and permit timing. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings and revenue miss: AXT reported a ($0.05) EPS vs. a ($0.04) consensus and revenue of $23.04M vs. $24.24M expected — results show continuing losses and a negative margin profile, which are fundamental headwinds. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Export‑permit uncertainty: Outside coverage flagged that export hurdles cloud the near‑term outlook for AI‑chip substrate demand; delayed permits materially affected Q4 revenue and remain a risk until permit flow steadies. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest / data quirks: Recent short‑interest entries reported odd/zero values and short‑ratio metrics that don’t indicate a clear squeeze signal; treat these figures cautiously until clarified.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AXTI. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in AXT by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 22,952 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 2,540 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AXT by 30.1% in the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,967 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 3,467 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of AXT in the fourth quarter valued at $69,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AXT during the fourth quarter valued at $98,000. Finally, Algert Global LLC increased its position in AXT by 31.9% during the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 28,800 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 6,970 shares in the last quarter. 49.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AXT Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of -61.83 and a beta of 1.96. The business has a 50-day moving average of $19.78 and a 200 day moving average of $10.92.

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

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.