AXT (NASDAQ:AXTI) Shares Gap Down on Insider Selling

06 Mar 2026, 10:58 by Jessica Moore · The Cerbat Gem

Shares of AXT Inc (NASDAQ:AXTI – Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Friday following insider selling activity. The stock had previously closed at $38.79, but opened at $36.50. AXT shares last traded at $39.39, with a volume of 2,366,468 shares.

Specifically, Director Jesse Chen sold 11,147 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.26, for a total value of $426,484.22. Following the sale, the director owned 167,064 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,391,868.64. The trade was a 6.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jesse Chen sold 8,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.83, for a total value of $341,704.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 178,211 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,919,933.13. This represents a 4.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In related news, Director David C. Chang sold 20,000 shares of AXT stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.53, for a total transaction of $770,600.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 112,744 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,344,026.32. The trade was a 15.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on AXTI shares. B. Riley Financial raised 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. Northland Securities set a $20.00 target price on shares of AXT in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised AXT from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Craig Hallum reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AXT in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group set a $35.00 target price on AXT in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.80.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on AXTI

Key Headlines Impacting AXT

Here are the key news stories impacting AXT this week:

Positive Sentiment: Institutional buys in Q4 (e.g., Davidson Kempner, Point72, others) suggest some durable demand and longer‑term backing for the stock; this can help support the share price over time. MarketBeat institutional note
Positive Sentiment: Recent bullish commentary highlights AXT as a semiconductor‑equipment/compound‑semiconductor play, which may attract sector investors given secular demand for GaAs/InP/GaN substrates. InsiderMonkey article
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed — a handful of buy/hold/ sell ratings and an average consensus target below recent trading — creating an ambiguous catalyst for direction. Analyst summary
Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data feeds are inconsistent/zero in recent reports, so there’s no clear short‑interest narrative (squeeze or buildup) driving today’s move.
Negative Sentiment: Large insider sales: CEO Morris Young sold 159,536 shares (~$6.9M at reported average) and multiple directors (including Jesse Chen and David C. Chang) sold sizeable blocks this week — a strong negative sentiment signal likely intensifying near‑term selling pressure. SEC filing: CEO sale SEC filing
Negative Sentiment: Q4 FY2025 results showed revenue of ~$23.0M (below some estimates) and an EPS miss; the company remains unprofitable with negative net margins — fundamentals that can weigh on sentiment until growth/profitability improves.
Negative Sentiment: Aggregate insider activity in recent weeks is net selling with few reported buys, a governance/sentiment headwind that often prompts short‑term outflows. TipRanks coverage

AXT Trading Down 2.0%

The company’s 50-day moving average is $24.12 and its 200 day moving average is $13.19. The firm has a market cap of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of -79.17 and a beta of 1.75.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in AXT by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 293,818 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 8,039 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning acquired a new position in shares of AXT in the 2nd quarter valued at about $86,000. White Pine Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of AXT by 2.8% in the second quarter. White Pine Capital LLC now owns 860,411 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,798,000 after purchasing an additional 23,467 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of AXT in the second quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of AXT by 12.4% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 22,952 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 2,540 shares during the period. 49.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AXT

(Get Free Report)

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.