Insider Selling: Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) CFO Sells 12,000 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Applied Optoelectronics CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock for a total value of $268,440, reducing his ownership by 3.87%.
• The company reported ($0.16) EPS for the latest quarter, missing expectations and indicating a 137.9% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• Analysts have varied ratings on the stock, with a target price ranging from $15.00 to $34.00, reflecting differing sentiments about its future performance.

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 12,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.37, for a total transaction of $268,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 298,477 shares in the company, valued at $6,676,930.49. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock traded down $0.84 on Wednesday, reaching $21.93. 4,395,732 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,454,993. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.11. The company's 50-day moving average is $24.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.22. The firm has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.53 and a beta of 2.72. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $8.43 and a 1-year high of $44.50.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.08) by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $102.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $104.96 million. Applied Optoelectronics had a negative net margin of 42.29% and a negative return on equity of 10.60%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 137.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.28) EPS. Applied Optoelectronics has set its Q3 2025 guidance at -0.100--0.030 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. will post -1.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAOI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Northland Securities set a $30.00 price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Friday, August 8th. B. Riley restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $15.00 price target (up previously from $13.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised their target price on Applied Optoelectronics from $18.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $27.20.

Institutional Trading of Applied Optoelectronics

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 497.5% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 962 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 801 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 243.9% during the 1st quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 2,297 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,629 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 85.9% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,785 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 825 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 858.2% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,284 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 2nd quarter worth $49,000. 61.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Optoelectronics Company Profile

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc designs, manufactures, and sells fiber-optic networking products in the United States, Taiwan, and China. It offers optical modules, optical filters, lasers, laser components, subassemblies, transmitters and transceivers, turn-key equipment, headend, node, distribution equipment, and amplifiers.