nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) Shares Gap Up on Earnings Beat

Shares of nLight (NASDAQ:LASR) gapped up before the market opened on Friday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $66.19, but opened at $76.96. nLight shares last traded at $83.17, with a volume of 849,904 shares trading hands.

The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $80.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.14 million. nLight had a negative net margin of 8.98% and a negative return on equity of 9.28%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 55.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.04) earnings per share.

Key Stories Impacting nLight

Here are the key news stories impacting nLight this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported record Q1 results with revenue, gross margin and Adjusted EBITDA above expectations; management highlighted A&D strength as a driver. nLIGHT, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly EPS of $0.20 and revenue of $80.18M beat consensus (EPS $0.08; revenue ~$72M); revenue was up ~55% year-over-year — clear execution beats that support a higher stock valuation. nLIGHT Q1 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Company set Q2 revenue guidance of $75M–$81M (above street ~$70.9M), signaling continued top‑line momentum. Q1 press slide deck
• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target from $70 to $80 and maintained a Buy rating, giving analyst backing for further upside. Needham price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Launched the HADES™ family of high‑energy directed‑energy products — a strategic product expansion into mission‑critical defense systems that can drive future A&D revenue. HADES product launch
• Positive Sentiment: Announced expansion of operations in Torino, Italy to support European/allied demand — reinforces international growth strategy for directed‑energy solutions. Italy expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Market previews, call transcript and coverage detail the quarter and management remarks — useful for investors who want conference‑call color on margins and backlog. Q1 earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the beat, nLight still reported a negative net margin (~-9%) and negative ROE; analysts expect FY EPS to remain negative (consensus ~-0.43), which could cap valuation until profitability normalizes. Earnings beat with margin notes

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LASR. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of nLight in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on nLight from $40.00 to $62.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on nLight in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $81.00 price target on shares of nLight in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, William Blair began coverage on nLight in a report on Friday, March 27th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other nLight news, Director Raymond A. Link sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.79, for a total value of $627,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 92,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,812,847.04. This represents a 9.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO James Nias sold 3,249 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.96, for a total value of $201,308.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 95,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,930,005.72. The trade was a 3.28% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 130,780 shares of company stock worth $8,032,729. 3.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of nLight by 161,736.7% in the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 79,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,350,000 after purchasing an additional 79,251 shares in the last quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust acquired a new position in shares of nLight during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $8,626,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC lifted its stake in nLight by 6,151.0% in the 3rd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 41,819 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,239,000 after buying an additional 41,150 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in nLight by 18.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,864,312 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,130,000 after buying an additional 747,958 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in nLight during the fourth quarter worth $788,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.88% of the company’s stock.

nLight Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.73. The company has a market cap of $4.71 billion, a PE ratio of -176.15 and a beta of 2.34.

nLight Company Profile

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.