AWM Investment Company Inc. Acquires 90,040 Shares of nLIGHT, Inc. (NASDAQ:LASR)

AWM Investment Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of nLIGHT, Inc. (NASDAQ:LASR) by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,018,993 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 90,040 shares during the period. AWM Investment Company Inc. owned 2.10% of nLIGHT worth $10,689,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in nLIGHT by 19.4% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 20,022 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,000 after buying an additional 3,250 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of nLIGHT during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of nLIGHT by 20.8% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 946,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,932,000 after purchasing an additional 162,903 shares during the last quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC boosted its stake in nLIGHT by 21.5% in the 4th quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 263,055 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,759,000 after purchasing an additional 46,596 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in nLIGHT during the 4th quarter valued at about $237,000. 83.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

nLIGHT Stock Up 9.4%

Shares of LASR stock opened at $13.84 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $8.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.97. nLIGHT, Inc. has a 52 week low of $6.20 and a 52 week high of $14.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $684.24 million, a PE ratio of -13.44 and a beta of 2.02.

nLIGHT (NASDAQ:LASR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.17) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $51.67 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $47.77 million. nLIGHT had a negative net margin of 24.16% and a negative return on equity of 19.53%. The firm’s revenue was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.17) EPS. Analysts anticipate that nLIGHT, Inc. will post -1.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LASR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on shares of nLIGHT from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Craig Hallum upgraded shares of nLIGHT from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $14.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at nLIGHT

In other news, CEO Scott H. Keeney sold 53,511 shares of nLIGHT stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.17, for a total transaction of $437,184.87. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,267,927 shares in the company, valued at $10,358,963.59. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 4.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.