IPG Photonics (NASDAQ:IPGP) has been upgraded from a 'sell' to a 'hold' rating by analysts at Wall Street Zen, reflecting a more positive outlook on the company's stock. Despite recently reported earnings that beat analysts' expectations, IPG Photonics experienced a 2.7% decline in revenue year-over-year. Several institutional investors, including Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group, have significantly increased their stakes in IPG Photonics, reflecting growing confidence in the company's future. \n\nIn a research note issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen upgraded IPG Photonics to a 'hold' rating. Raymond James Financial dropped their price target on shares of IPG Photonics from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a 'strong-buy' rating. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares from a 'market perform' rating to an 'outperform' rating and set a $97.00 price target. Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 price target on the stock. The consensus among analysts is a 'hold' rating with an average price target of $75.00.\n\nIPG Photonics last reported earnings on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share, beating the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.20. Revenue for the quarter was $250.72 million, exceeding analysts' expectations of $228.20 million. The company had a negative net margin of 22.77% and a positive return on equity of 2.25%. Quarterly revenue was down 2.7% year-over-year. Analysts anticipate 1.54 earnings per share for the current year.\n\nInsider transactions include a director who sold 1,360 shares at an average price of $76.24, valued at $103,686.40, reducing their position by 12.25%. Institutional investors have also increased their holdings: Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group increased its stake by 85.8%, Alliancebernstein L.P. by 1,918.3%, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP by 14.7%, Lazard Asset Management LLC by 0.9%, and AQR Capital Management LLC by 188.6%. As of now, 93.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.\n\nIPG Photonics Corporation develops, manufactures, and sells high-performance fiber lasers, fiber amplifiers, and diode lasers used primarily in materials processing worldwide. Its products include hybrid fiber-solid state lasers with green and ultraviolet wavelengths, fiber pigtailed packaged diodes, high-energy pulsed lasers, multi-wavelength and tunable lasers, and various optical accessories.\n\nThe stock opened at $75.26 on Friday, has a market cap of $3.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.36, a PEG ratio of 21.40, and a beta of 0.88. The 12-month low is $48.59, the 12-month high is $88.50, the 50-day moving average is $71.88, and the 200-day moving average is $65.79. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication.

IPG Photonics (NASDAQ:IPGP) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

IPG Photonics (NASDAQ:IPGP) has been upgraded from a 'sell' to a 'hold' rating by analysts at Wall Street Zen, reflecting a more positive outlook on the company's stock. The company reported earnings that exceeded expectations, with $0.30 earnings per share and $250.72 million in revenue, though revenue declined 2.7% year-over-year. Institutional investors, including Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group, Alliancebernstein L.P., and Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, have significantly increased their stakes. Analysts have adjusted price targets, with Raymond James lowering its target to $70.00 and Sanford C. Bernstein raising it to $97.00. The consensus rating is 'hold' with an average price target of $75.00. The company develops and sells high-performance fiber lasers and diode lasers used in materials processing worldwide.