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

AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) was the target of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Investors purchased 14,442 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 171% compared to the typical daily volume of 5,324 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Morris S. Young sold 125,893 shares of AXT stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.51, for a total value of $4,596,353.43. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,344,065 shares in the company, valued at $85,581,813.15. This trade represents a 5.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jesse Chen sold 12,452 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.69, for a total transaction of $469,315.88. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 152,612 shares in the company, valued at $5,751,946.28. The trade was a 7.54% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 370,455 shares of company stock valued at $14,879,664. Insiders own 8.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of AXT by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 22,952 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 2,540 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its position in AXT by 30.1% during the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,967 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 3,467 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in AXT during the 4th quarter valued at $69,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AXT in the fourth quarter valued at $98,000. Finally, Algert Global LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AXT by 31.9% in the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 28,800 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $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.

Key AXT News

Here are the key news stories impacting AXT this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call‑option buying — About 14,442 call contracts traded (≈+171% vs. average), signaling speculative bullish positioning that can amplify upside momentum in the underlying stock. (No article link provided)
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum recognition — Coverage noting AXT among top performers in February may attract momentum traders and ETF/quant interest, supporting demand. AXT, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reporting appears unreliable — public short‑interest entries show 0 shares and 0.0 days‑to‑cover (likely a data anomaly). That reduces clarity on how much short covering could influence moves. (Data entries provided)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by CEO — CEO Morris S. Young sold 125,893 shares on Mar 9 (~$4.6M at $36.51 avg) and an earlier block of 8,300 shares on Mar 6. While he still holds a large stake (~2.34M shares), the size and timing of sales can weigh on sentiment. SEC Filing — CEO Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Director selling — Director Jesse Chen sold 12,452 shares on Mar 9 and 2,000 shares on Mar 6, reducing his stake by ~7.5% and ~1.2% respectively; another signal that may pressure sentiment. SEC Filing — Director Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 / FY2025 results disappointed on growth and EPS — Revenue fell to $23.0M (down sequentially and year‑over‑year) and the company missed EPS expectations in the most recent quarter; margins contracted slightly. Those fundamentals underpin caution for longer‑term investors. AXT Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results

AXT Stock Performance

AXTI opened at $44.30 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion, a PE ratio of -92.29 and a beta of 1.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $25.51 and its 200-day moving average is $14.10. AXT has a one year low of $1.13 and a one year high of $47.03.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised AXT from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Wedbush lifted their target price on AXT from $8.50 to $28.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group set a $35.00 price target on AXT in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Craig Hallum reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AXT in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, B. Riley Financial lifted their price objective on shares of AXT to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AXT has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.80.

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.