--News Direct--
By Meg Flippin, Benzinga
Vuzix Corp. (NASDAQ: VUZI), the maker of smart glasses and augmented reality (AR) products, seems to be off to a good start in 2024 with several potential big deals in the works for both its enterprise products and original equipment manufacturing projects. At the same time, the Rochester, New York-based smart glasses maker with more than 375 patents is in a judicious cost-cutting mode, reducing expenses, improving margins and extending its operational runway.
"In 2023, Vuzix made important advancements in our product development, core optics technologies and manufacturing, all of which uniquely position Vuzix to play an important role in the expected to become multibillion-dollar AR smart glasses market," said Paul Travers, President and CEO of Vuzix, when reporting full-year 2023 results. “We have a good book of business with identified opportunities, representing large potential deals and cornerstone customers for our enterprise products. And on the OEM side of our business, we expect to enter into several new projects with new and existing defense and consumer product-focused customers over the course of the year.”
Insider Buying Signals Confidence
Travers and other executives at Vuzix believe in the company not just as employees but also as investors. They have been showing their confidence in the company’s prospects by buying up stock during the past month. When insiders, namely CEOs, buy shares of their company, it signals executives have confidence in the business and/or think the stock is undervalued. It’s something investors pay close attention to. If insiders were selling shares rather than purchasing them, it could be a red flag that something is amiss.
Based on Travers’ recent share purchases, he’s confident of the value Vuzix offers. On April 18, the CEO purchased 7,500 shares at $1.34 per share for $10,062. Days later, Travers was buying more, purchasing 14,500 shares at $1.25 each, for a cost of $18, 163. All told the CEO spent $28,225 to buy 22,000 shares over a few days. Meanwhile, director Timothy Heydenreich Harned purchased 20,000 shares on April 22 at $1.31 per share, totaling $26,188.
The moves on the part of the executives demonstrate leadership’s strong confidence in the company’s future. After all, if they weren’t so upbeat about the company and thus its stock’s prospects, they wouldn’t spend thousands of dollars to increase their holdings. It's worth noting that Vuzix’s executives aren’t deterred by volatility in the stock either. Travers spent $1.34 per share one day and when he saw an opportunity to acquire more again when the stock fell to $1.25 per share, he pounced on the opportunity.
Winning Deals, Making Tech Inroads
There seem to be many reasons for executives expressing confidence in Vuzix, given its 20-plus-year leadership position in the smart glasses market and the growth potential of that industry. Vuzix reports that it pioneered workforce AR and still continues to have the industry’s most diverse portfolio of enterprise smart glasses, with form factors ranging from lifestyle (Vuzix Z100), to sporty (Blade 2), to safety (Shield), to industrial and medical (M series). All of their AR products offer users a portable, high-quality viewing experience, and they expect their product portfolio, OEM and display system offerings to continue to diversify. They are also operating in an industry poised for more growth. The global smart glasses market is forecast to reach $13.68 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 10.3% from 2024 through 2031.
Vuzix’s success with customers for its existing and future technology is another reason Travers and other executives are so optimistic. Consider its Incognito™ Waveguide Technology, which effectively conceals any forward-facing content displayed on smart glasses. Vuzix waveguides are renowned for their exceptional brightness, clarity and performance. They can accommodate larger fields of view (FOVs) and are adaptable to a diverse range of form factors. These waveguides necessitate a robust display engine specifically designed for this purpose. Consequently, has engineered and introduced the world's smallest and most advanced display engine, which is about the size of a pencil eraser and has been recognized in the media as the tiniest microLED projector available.
Vuzix reports it is engaged with potential customers and development partners ranging from U.S. and international defense organizations to a number of well-known brands and OEM supply companies.
Orders Continue to Flow
Then there are its Vuzix M400 smart glasses. The company just received additional orders for the smart glasses from a Fortune 100 global retailer that is using the glasses to support its warehousing and logistic needs. The smart glasses are being used in multiple locations globally including the U.S., Canada, Mexico and throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Vuzix reports that customers have continued to expand across an increasing number of their company locations since the start of 2024.
This year is shaping up to be a busy one for Vuzix both on the enterprise and OEM fronts. So much so that executives, including CEO Travers, are buying up shares, signaling their confidence. With more news expected in the months to come, investors may want to pay close attention to what insiders do next.
Featured photo by Sabri Tuzcu on Unsplash.
Benzinga is a leading financial media and data provider, known for delivering accurate, timely, and actionable financial information to empower investors and traders.
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