AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) Sets New 52-Week High Following Analyst Upgrade

AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday after Wedbush raised their price target on the stock from $8.50 to $28.00. Wedbush currently has an outperform rating on the stock. AXT traded as high as $29.45 and last traded at $29.8340, with a volume of 2331744 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $23.81.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC downgraded AXT from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Northland Securities set a $20.00 target price on AXT in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. UBS Group set a $35.00 target price on AXT in a report on Tuesday. Craig Hallum reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AXT in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, B. Riley Financial downgraded shares of AXT from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $9.00 to $18.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.20.

Insider Activity at AXT

In other news, Director David C. Chang sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.84, for a total transaction of $371,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 132,744 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,969,920.96. This represents a 15.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Morris S. Young sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.05, for a total transaction of $421,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,495,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,071,546.20. The trade was a 1.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 110,000 shares of company stock worth $1,369,000 over the last 90 days. 8.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key AXT News

Here are the key news stories impacting AXT this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush raised its price target on AXT from $8.50 to $28.00 and initiated/maintains an “outperform” rating, implying ~17.6% upside from the reference price cited. This analyst upgrade is likely supporting buying interest. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: AXT published its Q4/FY2025 results and management commentary in a Business Wire release; the company noted fewer export permits than hoped in Q4 but said some permits have arrived in 2026 and management expects sequential revenue recovery. This provides context but leaves uncertainty around timing. Business Wire
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 2025 earnings call transcript is available for investors who want management commentary and color from the call. May help investors assess execution and export-permit progress. Seeking Alpha Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: AXT missed Q4 expectations: reported EPS of ($0.08) vs. consensus ($0.04) loss, and revenue of $23.04M vs. $24.24M expected. The miss and continued negative margins/ROE are downward earnings surprises that can pressure the stock. Zacks
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage and analysis note that export-permit hurdles (critical for shipments to certain customers and for AI chip material demand) cloud the near-term outlook — a fundamental headwind for revenue momentum. Investing.com
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional selling: Pacific Ridge Capital Partners sold ~1.7M AXT shares previously held, eliminating its stake — a sign some funds are locking gains or reducing exposure after recent run-ups. The Motley Fool
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in the feed appears inconsistent (shows zero shares/NaN changes) and likely isn’t meaningful; short-interest trends should be checked on official exchange filings.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXTI. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in shares of AXT during the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AXT in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in AXT during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Creative Planning bought a new position in AXT during the 2nd quarter worth $86,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in AXT in the fourth quarter worth $98,000. 49.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AXT Stock Up 24.8%

The company has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a P/E ratio of -57.38 and a beta of 1.96. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.73.

AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.08) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.04) by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $23.04 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.24 million. AXT had a negative return on equity of 11.19% and a negative net margin of 25.22%. Equities analysts forecast that AXT Inc will post -0.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AXT Company Profile

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.