Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $24.80.

AAOI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial dropped their target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 21st. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Northland Securities lifted their price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 13th.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Up 0.5%

Applied Optoelectronics stock traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $28.40. 3,145,157 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,729,636. Applied Optoelectronics has a 1 year low of $6.70 and a 1 year high of $44.50. The firm has a market cap of $1.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.36 and a beta of 2.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $20.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.60.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $99.86 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.37 million. Applied Optoelectronics had a negative net margin of 55.98% and a negative return on equity of 15.40%. The company's revenue was up 145.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.31) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Optoelectronics will post -1.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Optoelectronics

In other Applied Optoelectronics news, insider Hung-Lun (Fred) Chang sold 23,837 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.06, for a total transaction of $454,333.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 278,842 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,314,728.52. The trade was a 7.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider David C. Kuo sold 11,426 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.10, for a total transaction of $218,236.60. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 153,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,939,490. The trade was a 6.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 39,263 shares of company stock valued at $726,570. Corporate insiders own 4.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 858.2% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,284 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 4th quarter worth about $63,000. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 243.9% in the 1st quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 2,297 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,629 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 17.6% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,262 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $157,000 after acquiring an additional 637 shares during the period. 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.