nLight LASR shares were up 14.8% in the after-market hours after the company reported better-than-expected first-quarter 2026 results on May 7.
nLight reported first-quarter 2026 earnings per share (EPS) of 20 cents. The company reported a loss of 4 cents in the year-ago quarter. LASR’s first-quarter EPS surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimates of 8 cents.
LASR reported net revenues of $80.2 million, up 55.2% year over year. The figure surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 12.6%.
nLight Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
nLight price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | nLight Quote
LASR’s Revenues by End Market
nLight’s revenues from the Aerospace and Defense end market came in at $55.1 million (68.8% of the top line), up 68.6% from the prior-year quarter.
nLight’s revenues from the Industrial end market came in at $12 million (15% of the top line), up 35.8% from the prior-year quarter.
nLight’s revenues from the Microfabrication end market came in at $13 million (16.2% of the top line), up 28.9% from the prior-year quarter.
LASR’s Financials in Detail
Segment-wise, nLight’s Product sales were $58.2 million, which contributed 72.6% to its top line, reflecting an increase of 63.1% from the year-ago quarter.
nLight’s Development sales were $21.9 million (27.4% of the top line), up 37.5% from the prior-year quarter.
LASR’s gross margin was 34.4%, which expanded 660 basis points (bps) from the year-ago quarter.
Operating loss was $0.72 million, narrower than the year-ago quarter’s loss of $9.61 million.
LASR’s Balance Sheet & Cash Flow
As of March. 31, 2026, cash, cash equivalent balances and marketable securities were $332.6 million, up from $133.6 million as of Dec. 31, 2025.
In the first quarter of 2026, LASR generated an operating cash flow of approximately $9.68 million,
LASR Provides Guidance for Q2 2026
For the second quarter of 2026, LASR expects revenues between $75 million and $81 million. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $70.41 million, indicating year-over-year growth of 14%.
The company anticipates a gross margin between 29% and 33%.
nLIGHT expects adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $8 million to $12 million.
Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider
Currently, LASR carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector are Broadcom AVGO, Celestica CLS and Amphenol APH, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Shares of Broadcom have gained 19.2% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Broadcom’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $11.45 per share, up by 9 cents over the past 30 days, indicating an increase of 67.9% year over year.
Shares of Celestica have gained 30.3% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Celestica’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $10.16 per share, up 3.4% over the past seven days, indicating an increase of 67.9% year over year.
Amphenol shares have jumped 1.1% year to date. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for APH’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $4.76 per share, up 11% over the past seven days, indicating an increase of 42.5% year over year.
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Amphenol Corporation (APH): Free Stock Analysis Report
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nLight (LASR): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).