nLIGHT Raises Q4 Revenue Outlook to $78-80M Driven by Aerospace & Defense
nLIGHT expects fourth-quarter 2025 revenue of $78 million to $80 million, above its prior $72 million to $78 million guidance. The company forecasts Laser Products revenue of $54 million to $55 million and Advanced Development revenue of $24 million to $25 million, driven by Aerospace & Defense demand.
1. Stock Hits Record High on AI and Defense Momentum
Shares of nLIGHT Inc. surged to an all-time high following the company’s preannouncement that fourth-quarter 2025 revenue would reach $78 million to $80 million, topping the prior guidance range of $72 million to $78 million. Investors reacted to nLIGHT’s expanding role in AI-driven optical sensing and mission-critical directed-energy programs, with trading volume in the laser developer jumping 45% above its 30-day average. Market participants cited nLIGHT’s order backlog in defense programs—up 22% year-over-year—and new contracts for high-power fiber amplifiers as key drivers of the rally.
2. CEO Executes Routine Option Sale for $1.2 Million
On January 6, nLIGHT President and CEO Scott Keeney exercised 31,748 stock options under a Rule 10b5-1 plan and immediately sold the shares for approximately $1.2 million. The transaction represented 1.37% of his direct holdings and matched the median size of his recent sales, underscoring that the sale was a planned liquidity event rather than a change in outlook. Following the sale, Keeney retains 2,285,020 directly held shares, valued at more than $86 million based on the weighted average exercise price of $37.51 per share.
3. Aerospace & Defense Sales Drive Upside in Laser Products
nLIGHT expects Laser Products revenue to total $54 million to $55 million and Advanced Development revenue to reach $24 million to $25 million in Q4 2025, with Aerospace and Defense customers accounting for the bulk of the upside. Management highlighted strong program visibility in directed-energy systems for naval applications and multiple sensing projects for aerospace primes. The defense segment’s revenue growth of 30% sequentially provided the largest contribution to the upside versus guidance, reinforcing nLIGHT’s positioning in higher-margin defense markets.
4. Conference Engagement Signals Continued Investor Focus
CEO Scott Keeney and CFO Joe Corso will present at the 28th Annual Needham Growth Conference on January 13, offering deeper insight into nLIGHT’s product pipeline and margin expansion plans. The company employs approximately 800 people across its Camas, Washington headquarters and operations in Europe and Asia. With trailing-12-month revenue of $227.5 million and a one-year stock gain of 278.6%, nLIGHT’s management team aims to underscore near-term catalysts, including the ramp of next-generation beam-combining systems and incremental orders for compact, high-power lasers used in unmanned aerial vehicle sensing.