AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Shares of AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $47.35 and last traded at $46.4180, with a volume of 7099268 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $44.30.

AXT News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AXT this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI/infrastructure narrative — Analysts and coverage note an optimistic outlook that AXT’s substrate and wafer products could benefit from AI infrastructure demand, supporting higher valuation expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual call buying — Earlier unusual activity showed ~14,442 call contracts bought (about +171% vs typical), signaling short‑term bullish/speculative positioning that can amplify upward moves. (market data)
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum rebound — The stock has been rallying after recent losses as bargain hunters and momentum traders piled in, contributing to the current upside. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reporting appears anomalous/zero in recent feeds, so there’s no clear evidence that short covering is driving moves — treat reported short data with caution. (market data)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — Significant insider sales: CEO Morris S. Young sold 125,893 shares (Mar 9) and other recent tranches; Director Jesse Chen also sold multiple blocks. Large insider dispositions can be read negatively by the market. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Put buying spike — More recent unusual activity shows ~9,810 put contracts purchased (≈+73% vs typical put volume), which could reflect hedging or bearish/speculative bets that may cap rallies. (market data)
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed Q4 / FY2025 results — Revenue fell to $23.0M (down QoQ and YoY) and GAAP gross margin dipped to ~20.9%, undershooting some expectations and keeping near‑term execution concerns on the table. Read More.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AXTI. B. Riley Financial boosted their price objective on shares of AXT to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Craig Hallum reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AXT in a research report on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group set a $35.00 price target on AXT in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Needham & Company LLC downgraded AXT from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Northland Securities set a $20.00 price objective on AXT in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Two investment 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.80.

AXT Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $25.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.10. The stock has a market cap of $2.63 billion, a PE ratio of -98.54 and a beta of 1.75.

AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.05) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.04) by ($0.01). AXT had a negative net margin of 24.07% and a negative return on equity of 10.59%. The firm had revenue of $23.04 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.24 million. Equities research analysts expect that AXT Inc will post -0.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AXT

In other news, Director David C. Chang sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.53, for a total transaction of $770,600.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 112,744 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,344,026.32. This represents a 15.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jesse Chen sold 12,452 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.69, for a total value of $469,315.88. Following the sale, the director directly owned 152,612 shares in the company, valued at $5,751,946.28. The trade was a 7.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 370,455 shares of company stock worth $14,879,664 in the last three months. Insiders own 8.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AXT

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in AXT during the fourth quarter valued at $2,939,000. XTX Topco Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of AXT by 173.7% in the 4th quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 35,201 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $576,000 after acquiring an additional 22,338 shares during the last quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. bought a new stake in shares of AXT in the 4th quarter worth about $228,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL purchased a new position in shares of AXT during the 4th quarter worth about $278,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AXT by 577.2% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 205,503 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,360,000 after purchasing an additional 175,158 shares during the period. 49.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.