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

Shares of Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $24.00.

A number of research firms have commented on AAOI. B. Riley raised shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $13.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, June 7th. Raymond James Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Northland Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on Applied Optoelectronics to $30.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Hung-Lun (Fred) Chang sold 23,837 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.06, for a total transaction of $454,333.22. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 278,842 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,314,728.52. This trade represents a 7.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,000 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.05, for a total value of $32,100.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 321,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,152,627.80. This represents a 0.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 39,263 shares of company stock worth $726,570. 4.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in Applied Optoelectronics by 243.9% in the first quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 2,297 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,629 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted 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 valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the fourth quarter worth $63,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the first quarter worth $66,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.72% of the company's stock.

Applied Optoelectronics Price Performance

Shares of AAOI traded up $2.99 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $19.77. 10,358,896 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,484,314. 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 market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of -5.12 and a beta of 2.64. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.95. Applied Optoelectronics has a one year low of $6.70 and a one year high of $44.50.

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

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.