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

Shares of Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the five analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $22.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on AAOI shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Applied Optoelectronics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday. Raymond James lowered their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. B. Riley upgraded Applied Optoelectronics from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $13.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target on Applied Optoelectronics to $30.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th.

Applied Optoelectronics Price Performance

Shares of AAOI stock traded up $0.27 on Wednesday, reaching $17.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,233,319 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,266,794. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Applied Optoelectronics has a 12-month low of $6.70 and a 12-month high of $44.50. The company has a market capitalization of $992.59 million, a P/E ratio of -8.68 and a beta of 2.55. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $15.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.67.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 22.36% and a negative net margin of 38.61%. The company had revenue of $99.86 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.37 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.31) earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 145.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities 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 news, insider Hung-Lun (Fred) Chang sold 23,837 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.06, for a total value of $454,333.22. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 278,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,314,728.52. The trade was a 7.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,000 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.06, for a total value of $46,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 196,581 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,533,157.86. This represents a 1.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 39,263 shares of company stock worth $740,590 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 4.96% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of AAOI. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,629 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 858.2% in the fourth 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 during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the first quarter worth about $66,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.72% of the company's stock.

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.