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Side-by-side financial comparison of NLIGHT, INC. (LASR) and Zhihu Inc. (ZH). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Zhihu Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($92.0M vs $81.2M, roughly 1.1× NLIGHT, INC.). Zhihu Inc. runs the higher net margin — 32.7% vs -6.0%, a 38.8% gap on every dollar of revenue. Over the past eight quarters, NLIGHT, INC.'s revenue compounded faster (35.0% CAGR vs -19.0%).
nLight Inc. is a global developer and manufacturer of high-performance semiconductor lasers, fiber lasers, and related optical components. Its products serve key segments including industrial precision manufacturing, aerospace and defense, medical equipment, and advanced research, with customers across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
Zhihu is a Chinese social question and answer site and news aggregator. Originally based in Chengdu and with creators from Sichuan, China, the website launched on January 26, 2011. The number of registered users on Zhihu exceeded 10 million by the end of 2013, and reached 17 million as of May 2015, with 250 million monthly page views.
LASR vs ZH — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $81.2M | $92.0M |
| Net Profit | $-4.9M | $30.1M |
| Gross Margin | 30.7% | 53.6% |
| Operating Margin | -6.7% | — |
| Net Margin | -6.0% | 32.7% |
| Revenue YoY | 71.3% | — |
| Net Profit YoY | 80.3% | — |
| EPS (diluted) | $-0.10 | — |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | — | $92.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | $81.2M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $66.7M | $92.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $61.7M | $100.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $51.7M | $100.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $47.4M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $56.1M | $120.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $50.5M | $128.5M |
| Q1 26 | — | $30.1M | ||
| Q4 25 | $-4.9M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $-6.9M | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $-3.6M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $-8.1M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $-25.0M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $-10.3M | $-1.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-11.7M | $-11.1M |
| Q1 26 | — | 53.6% | ||
| Q4 25 | 30.7% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 31.1% | 61.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 29.9% | 62.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | 26.7% | 61.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.4% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 22.4% | 63.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 23.5% | 59.6% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | -6.7% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | -10.9% | -15.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | -6.9% | -12.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | -18.6% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | -55.8% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | -21.0% | -10.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | -25.1% | -19.7% |
| Q1 26 | — | 32.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | -6.0% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | -10.3% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | -5.8% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | -15.7% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | -52.7% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | -18.4% | -1.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | -23.2% | -8.6% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $-0.10 | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $-0.14 | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $-0.07 | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $-0.16 | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $-0.52 | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $-0.21 | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $-0.25 | — |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $98.7M | $481.8M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $226.7M | $554.1M |
| Total Assets | $315.2M | $742.3M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $481.8M | ||
| Q4 25 | $98.7M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $81.1M | $383.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $78.8M | $446.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $82.2M | $446.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $65.8M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $41.5M | $458.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $49.4M | $434.7M |
| Q1 26 | — | $554.1M | ||
| Q4 25 | $226.7M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $218.5M | $578.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $216.0M | $587.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $212.8M | $573.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $216.4M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $235.3M | $619.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $239.5M | $605.5M |
| Q1 26 | — | $742.3M | ||
| Q4 25 | $315.2M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $298.7M | $772.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $295.3M | $802.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $290.0M | $783.1M | ||
| Q4 24 | $270.2M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $291.3M | $856.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $294.3M | $840.5M |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $17.5M | — |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $15.9M | — |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 19.6% | — |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 2.0% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $12.3M | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $17.5M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $5.2M | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $-1.4M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $-20.0K | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $-3.9M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $-5.6M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $-4.2M | — |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $15.9M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.4M | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $-3.8M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $-2.3M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $-6.5M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $-7.2M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $-6.4M | — |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 19.6% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.7% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | -6.1% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | -4.5% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | -13.7% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | -12.9% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | -12.6% | — |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 2.0% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.2% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.9% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.4% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.5% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.9% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 4.2% | — |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
LASR
| Aerospaceand Defense | $56.3M | 69% |
| Microfabrication | $14.2M | 18% |
| Industrial | $10.7M | 13% |
ZH
Segment breakdown not available.
