nLIGHT, Inc. (LASR) is up 27.9% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.
Analysis: The sharp move appears tied to investor reaction to a reported U.S. defense contract win tied to the Joint Laser Weapon System program, a development that would materially expand nLIGHT’s opportunity in directed-energy weapons. The rally was likely amplified by the company’s already strong defense momentum, including record aerospace and defense product revenue in the most recent quarter and recent investments to expand high-energy laser manufacturing capacity.
Details:
A reported award tied to the Joint Laser Weapon System carried a ceiling value of up to $627 million, with an initial value of $44 million, which would be meaningful relative to nLIGHT’s current revenue base.In first-quarter 2026 results, nLIGHT posted revenue of $80.2 million, up 55.2% year over year, and highlighted record aerospace and defense product revenue that nearly doubled from a year earlier.The company launched its HADES directed-energy product line in May, positioning a scalable portfolio of laser effectors for counter-drone, counter-rocket, and broader air and missile defense missions.Earlier this year, nLIGHT added 50,000 square feet in Longmont, Colorado, more than doubling capacity there to support ongoing and future high-energy laser work.Sources:
Reuters, nLIGHT Investor Relations, SEC
Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.
$LASR Insider Trading Activity
$LASR insiders have traded $LASR stock on the open market 64 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 64 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $LASR stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
- SCOTT H KEENEY (President and CEO) has made 0 purchases and 43 sales selling 399,981 shares for an estimated $28,360,484.
- JOSEPH JOHN CORSO (Chief Financial Officer) has made 0 purchases and 11 sales selling 126,724 shares for an estimated $8,784,222.
- RAYMOND A LINK has made 0 purchases and 3 sales selling 25,404 shares for an estimated $1,612,651.
- JAMES NIAS (Chief Accounting Officer) has made 0 purchases and 7 sales selling 11,082 shares for an estimated $753,989.
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.
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$LASR Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 192 institutional investors add shares of $LASR stock to their portfolio, and 103 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
- ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN L.P. added 1,053,772 shares (+2011.9%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $60,086,079
- VAN ECK ASSOCIATES CORP added 1,048,325 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $59,775,491
- DRIEHAUS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC added 1,040,150 shares (+142.0%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $59,309,353
- FMR LLC added 983,816 shares (+834.0%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $56,097,188
- GILDER GAGNON HOWE & CO LLC added 786,285 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $44,833,970
- SENVEST MANAGEMENT, LLC removed 758,047 shares (-76.0%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $43,223,839
- MILLENNIUM MANAGEMENT LLC added 584,664 shares (+671.1%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $33,337,541
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.
$LASR Analyst Ratings
Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $LASR in the last several months. We have seen 2 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.
Here are some recent analyst ratings:
- Needham issued a "Buy" rating on 05/08/2026
- William Blair issued a "Outperform" rating on 03/27/2026
To track analyst ratings and price targets for $LASR, check out Quiver Quantitative's $LASR forecast page.
$LASR Price Targets
Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $LASR recently. We have seen 5 analysts offer price targets for $LASR in the last 6 months, with a median target of $80.0.
Here are some recent targets:
- Ruben Roy from Stifel set a target price of $85.0 on 05/21/2026
- James Ricchiuti from Needham set a target price of $80.0 on 05/08/2026
- Peter Arment from Baird set a target price of $95.0 on 03/04/2026
- Troy Jensen from Cantor Fitzgerald set a target price of $62.5 on 02/27/2026
- Tom Hayes from Roth Capital set a target price of $55.0 on 02/03/2026
This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.
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nLIGHT Surges on Likely Defense Contract Catalyst
nLIGHT, Inc. (LASR) is up 27.9% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.
Analysis: The sharp move appears tied to investor reaction to a reported U.S. defense contract win tied to the Joint Laser Weapon System program, a development that would materially expand nLIGHT’s opportunity in directed-energy weapons. The rally was likely amplified by the company’s already strong defense momentum, including record aerospace and defense product revenue in the most recent quarter and recent investments to expand high-energy laser manufacturing capacity.
Details:
Sources:
Reuters, nLIGHT Investor Relations, SEC
Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.
$LASR Insider Trading Activity
$LASR insiders have traded $LASR stock on the open market 64 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 64 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $LASR stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.
$LASR Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 192 institutional investors add shares of $LASR stock to their portfolio, and 103 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.
$LASR Analyst Ratings
Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $LASR in the last several months. We have seen 2 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.
Here are some recent analyst ratings:
To track analyst ratings and price targets for $LASR, check out Quiver Quantitative's $LASR forecast page.
$LASR Price Targets
Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $LASR recently. We have seen 5 analysts offer price targets for $LASR in the last 6 months, with a median target of $80.0.
Here are some recent targets:
This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.
Read full article here »