AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) Short Interest Up 40.6% in December

AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,829,634 shares, an increase of 40.6% from the November 30th total of 2,012,066 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,113,573 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days. Approximately 6.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 6.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 4,113,573 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.7 days.

Key Headlines Impacting AXT

Here are the key news stories impacting AXT this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company closed the underwritten offering and the underwriters fully exercised their option, increasing the deal to 8,163,265 shares at $12.25 and generating roughly $100 million in gross proceeds — provides substantial cash for expansion/operations and removes near-term financing uncertainty. AXT Announces Closing of Public Offering
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity and heavy call buying indicate short-term bullish positioning and speculative interest — may amplify intraday upside and liquidity. (2,968 calls traded, ~139% above average daily call volume)
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading surged (very high volume) and QuiverQuant data shows substantial retail/institutional attention and recent hedge fund position changes; high volume raises volatility and could drive overshoots in either direction. QuiverQuant AXTI data
• Negative Sentiment: Issuing new shares at $12.25 dilutes existing holders; initial pricing news earlier triggered a sell-off when the market absorbed the offering details — dilution risk remains a tangible negative for EPS/ownership. MarketWatch: AXT Shares Fall After Pricing
• Negative Sentiment: Material insider selling activity over the past six months (multiple exec sales reported) could be perceived negatively by investors concerned about insiders reducing exposure. QuiverQuant insider trading data

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on AXTI. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AXT from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 22nd. B. Riley upped their price target on AXT from $4.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on AXT from $5.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Wedbush set a $7.00 price objective on AXT and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Northland Securities set a $20.00 target price on AXT in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $11.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at AXT

In other AXT news, Director Leonard J. Leblanc sold 3,637 shares of AXT stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.41, for a total transaction of $30,587.17. Following the sale, the director owned 118,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $999,738.75. The trade was a 2.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Morris S. Young sold 80,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.65, for a total transaction of $692,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,439,490 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,101,588.50. The trade was a 3.18% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 326,767 shares of company stock worth $3,329,808. Corporate insiders own 8.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AXT

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Penn Capital Management Company LLC acquired a new position in shares of AXT in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $729,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its stake in AXT by 39.7% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 205,822 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $924,000 after purchasing an additional 58,542 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AXT in the third quarter valued at $136,000. Destination Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of AXT in the third quarter valued at $458,000. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AXT by 339.6% in the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 405,978 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,823,000 after buying an additional 313,618 shares during the period. 49.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AXT Stock Performance

Shares of AXT stock opened at $15.80 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $736.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -30.38 and a beta of 1.97. AXT has a fifty-two week low of $1.13 and a fifty-two week high of $17.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $11.08 and a 200 day moving average of $5.89.

AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.12) by $0.08. The company had revenue of $27.96 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.85 million. AXT had a negative return on equity of 11.19% and a negative net margin of 25.22%. Analysts forecast that AXT will post -0.12 EPS for the current year.

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.