What Happened?
Shares of materials and photonics company Coherent (NYSE:COHR) jumped 3.8% in the afternoon session after the company launched its new WELD2D MP laser welding scanner, designed to redefine cost-performance standards for high-growth sectors.
The new product is specifically aimed at critical applications in the fast-growing e-mobility (EV) and power electronics markets, such as foil-to-tab and thin busbar welding. By combining precision with a competitive price, Coherent aims to make advanced laser welding accessible to a broader customer base, potentially boosting sales volumes. The company stated its goal is to "democratize access to high-performance laser welding." The scanner is part of an expanded portfolio of laser solutions that demonstrates Coherent's commitment to innovation and solidifies its reputation as a leader in photonics, positioning it to better serve next-generation manufacturing challenges.
After the initial pop the shares cooled down to $107.22, up 4.1% from previous close.
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What Is The Market Telling Us
Coherent’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 40 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
The previous big move we wrote about was 5 days ago when the stock gained 5.5% after renewed investor enthusiasm for the artificial intelligence boom was sparked by a strong forecast from a major cloud provider.
The optimism was ignited by Oracle, which jumped 30% after forecasting a massive increase in AI-powered cloud revenue. This outlook overshadowed the company's recent earnings miss and reinforced investor confidence in the long-term AI trend, benefiting companies that provide critical infrastructure for artificial intelligence. Underscoring the bullish sentiment, investment bank Barclays raised its year-end S&P 500 target, citing resilient economic growth and continued investor excitement for AI as key drivers for the market's strength.
Coherent is up 6.6% since the beginning of the year, and at $107.22 per share, it is trading close to its 52-week high of $116.56 from August 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Coherent’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $2,718.
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