nLIGHT jumps after quarterly results and upbeat guidance

Session of November 6, 2026 · Published November 7, 2026 · 3 min read

What happened

nLIGHT (LASR) rose 29.6% on November 6, 2026, after third-quarter results beat estimates and management guided for stronger fourth-quarter sales. The company reported GAAP earnings of $0.16 per share on revenue of $73.8 million for the quarter. Management said revenue was down 11% sequentially but expected sales to increase in the fourth quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research and MarketBeat. Executives also disclosed that supply constraints pushed about $15 million of product shipments into 2027, according to Benzinga and MarketBeat.

Closing price over the last 30 trading sessions. On November 6, 2026, LASR closed at $38.02, up 29.6% on the day and 3.9% lower than 30 sessions earlier.

How big was the move

The session was a one-day rally: the closing price was $38.02, a rise of 29.6%. The stock opened 25.7% above the previous close and trading volume was 2.5 times its 20-day average, reflecting elevated investor interest. The intraday swing measured 5.9 times a typical daily move for this stock. The advance outpaced the technology sector median by 27.9 percentage points on a day when the S&P 500 rose 0.3% and the sector median rose 1.7%.

Each bar is one day's price change; the outlined bar is November 6, 2026. A typical daily move over the past year was 5.5%, so the latest move equals 5.4 times that. Moves outside the dashed lines (about 11.0%) are unusual.

The technical picture

Technically, the stock sat 5.0% above its 20-day moving average but 1.2% below its 50-day moving average. It remained 33.8% below its 200-day moving average. The 50-day average is below the 200-day average, a sign of a weak longer-term trend. The Relative Strength Index (14 days) was 52, in a neutral range. The share price was 56.3% below its 52-week high and had fallen 25.5% over three months despite rising 20.7% over one year. Volatility was elevated, with the 60-day reading at 79% annualized, higher than 78% of its own readings over five years.

Closing price over the past year. LASR ends the period 55.2% below its 52-week high, below its 50-day average ($38.48) and below its 200-day average ($57.44).

Fundamentals and valuation

Over the four quarters through September 30, 2026, revenue was $317.7 million, up 39.6% from a year earlier. Gross margin improved to 32.0% from 23.8% a year earlier, while operating margin was 5.9% versus 20.9% a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share for the period were $-0.23. Free-cash-flow margin stood at 9.2%, return on invested capital was 3.6%, and the balance sheet showed net cash of $260.1 million.

Quarterly revenue by period end. The latest quarter brought $74M, 10.5% more than the same quarter a year earlier.

The company’s market value was $2.14 billion and the share count over one year increased by 16.6%. Valuation measures suggested investors were paying for expected improvement: the stock traded at 76.4 times expected earnings and offered a free-cash-flow yield of 1.4%. PromtFinance scores showed Revisions at 100 (Exceptional), while Value, Growth, Quality and Momentum registered at 26, 42, 35 and 34 respectively. Those scores highlight a contrast between upbeat analyst revisions and weaker underlying quality and value metrics.

Earnings and analyst expectations

nLIGHT reported its last earnings on November 5, 2026, posting GAAP earnings per share of $0.16 against $0.05 expected, a surprise of 242.8% above estimates, according to Zacks Investment Research and MarketBeat. The company has recorded seven consecutive quarters beating estimates and its average surprise over the last four reports was 100.0% above estimates. Despite the string of beats, the typical two-day reaction after recent reports has been a fall of 2.2%, reflecting volatile investor responses to guidance and execution details.

Diluted earnings per share by quarter. The latest quarter shows -$0.12, against -$0.14 in the same quarter a year earlier.

Analysts remained broadly constructive. The consensus price target was $90.00 from 13 analysts, 92% of whom rated the stock Buy or Strong Buy. That target is 136.7% above the closing price. The gap underscores how the market is pricing optimism about a recovery in longer-term sales and margins, even as short-term trends and valuation appear strained.

What to watch

November 5, 2026: third-quarter results showing revenue of $73.8 million and GAAP earnings of $0.16 per share, reported by Zacks Investment Research and MarketBeat
Management disclosure that supply constraints pushed about $15 million of product shipments into 2027, reported by Benzinga and MarketBeat
Next scheduled earnings report on February 25, 2027
Consensus price target of $90.00 from 13 analysts, 92% with a Buy or Strong Buy rating and the target is 136.7% above the closing price
PromtFinance Revisions score of 100 (Exceptional) and a Price to forward earnings of 76.4 times expected earnings

Full LASR analysis: scores, chart and financials →