AXT Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:AXTI)

AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders purchased 42,750 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 58% compared to the typical daily volume of 27,116 put options.

AXT Stock Down 13.4%

Shares of AXTI traded down $14.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $91.79. 4,350,790 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,290,873. The firm has a market cap of $6.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -295.95 and a beta of 1.80. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.83. AXT has a 12-month low of $1.72 and a 12-month high of $143.16.

AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.04) by $0.03. The company had revenue of $26.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $26.22 million. AXT had a negative net margin of 14.69% and a negative return on equity of 5.71%. AXT has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.060-0.080 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that AXT will post 0.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AXT news, Director Jesse Chen sold 8,083 shares of AXT stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.25, for a total transaction of $406,170.75. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 109,526 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,503,681.50. The trade was a 6.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David C. Chang sold 20,000 shares of AXT stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.00, for a total transaction of $920,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 72,744 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,346,224. This trade represents a 21.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 467,666 shares of company stock valued at $33,695,744. Insiders own 5.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AXT

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AXTI. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AXT by 2.8% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 293,818 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 8,039 shares during the period. Creative Planning purchased a new stake in shares of AXT during the second quarter valued at approximately $86,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of AXT during the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Wesbanco Bank Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AXT during the third quarter valued at approximately $112,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of AXT during the third quarter valued at approximately $145,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.52% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Northland Securities set a $125.00 price target on shares of AXT in a research report on Wednesday. Wedbush lifted their price target 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. Weiss Ratings raised shares of AXT from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group set a $35.00 price target on shares of AXT in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of AXT from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.80.

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.