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

Shares of AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) hit 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. The stock had previously closed at $23.81.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on AXTI. Needham & Company LLC lowered AXT from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wedbush raised their target price on shares of AXT from $8.50 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Craig Hallum reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AXT in a research note on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group set a $35.00 price target on shares of AXT in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of AXT from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AXT news, CEO Morris S. Young sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.05, for a total transaction of $421,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David C. Chang sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,969,920.96. This trade represents a 15.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 110,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,369,000. 8.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AXT News Roundup

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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AXT

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. XTX Topco Ltd lifted its holdings in AXT by 173.7% in the fourth quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 35,201 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $576,000 after buying an additional 22,338 shares during the period. SummitTX Capital L.P. bought a new position in shares of AXT in the 4th quarter worth approximately $228,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new position in shares of AXT in the 4th quarter worth approximately $278,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AXT by 577.2% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 205,503 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,360,000 after purchasing an additional 175,158 shares during the period. Finally, Gotham Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AXT during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,041,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.52% of the company’s stock.

AXT Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $19.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.98. The company has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of -61.83 and a beta of 1.96.

AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.05) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.04) by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $23.04 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.24 million. AXT had a negative net margin of 24.07% and a negative return on equity of 10.59%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AXT Inc 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.