Insider Selling: AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) CEO Sells $4,596,353.43 in Stock

AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) CEO Morris Young sold 125,893 shares of AXT stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.51, for a total transaction of $4,596,353.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,344,065 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $85,581,813.15. This represents a 5.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

AXT Price Performance

NASDAQ:AXTI opened at $46.73 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -97.35 and a beta of 1.75. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $26.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.56. AXT Inc has a 1 year low of $1.13 and a 1 year high of $50.97.

AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) last posted its quarterly 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). AXT had a negative return on equity of 10.59% and a negative net margin of 24.07%.The company had revenue of $23.04 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.24 million. On average, analysts expect that AXT Inc will post -0.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AXT

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AXTI. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong purchased a new position in AXT in the 4th quarter worth approximately $22,738,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of AXT during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $20,187,000. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of AXT by 1,314.6% in the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 904,599 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $14,790,000 after purchasing an additional 840,650 shares during the last quarter. Maytree Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of AXT in the fourth quarter worth approximately $11,156,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of AXT by 2,404.5% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 574,828 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,398,000 after buying an additional 551,876 shares during the period. 49.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting AXT

Here are the key news stories impacting AXT this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI narrative & analyst lift — Analysts and commentators are highlighting AXT’s exposure to AI infrastructure (InP/GaAs substrates), and Wedbush raised its price target recently, supporting a re‑rating possibility if demand for compound‑semiconductor wafers accelerates. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Short‑term momentum bounce — The shares staged a sharp rebound (double‑digit session gains reported earlier), driven by bargain hunting after recent losses and amplified by higher volume. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Odd short‑interest reporting — Recent short interest prints show zero/NaN values and a 0.0 days‑to‑cover ratio, which appears to be a reporting anomaly and provides no clear signal about short‑covering flows.
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy insider selling — CEO Morris S. Young sold large blocks (e.g., 125,893 shares on Mar 9) and multiple directors have sold tens of thousands of shares across early March. Large insider exits can sap investor confidence even amid a rally. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings/revenue miss — Q4 results missed consensus: revenue of $23.04M vs. $24.24M expected and EPS slightly below estimates, with GAAP gross margin pressure. Near‑term execution and visibility remain concerns. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options/put activity — Reports show elevated options volume and a spike in put purchases (nearly 9,810 puts on one day), indicating notable short‑term bearish/speculative positioning that can increase volatility. Read More.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AXTI shares. UBS Group set a $35.00 price target on AXT in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of AXT from $8.50 to $28.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Northland Securities set a $20.00 target price on shares of AXT in a report on Monday, December 22nd. B. Riley Financial increased their target price on shares of AXT to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of AXT from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.