Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Now Covered by Analysts at Wolfe Research

Stock analysts at Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) in a research report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage set a "peer perform" rating on the semiconductor company's stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on Applied Optoelectronics from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Northland Securities raised their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Applied Optoelectronics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $24.80.

Applied Optoelectronics Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of AAOI stock traded up $0.15 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $28.40. 3,145,157 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,719,481. The firm has a market cap of $1.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.36 and a beta of 2.78. Applied Optoelectronics has a fifty-two week low of $6.70 and a fifty-two week high of $44.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.88. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.73.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.02) EPS 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 quarterly revenue was up 145.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.31) EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Applied Optoelectronics will post -1.18 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider David C. Kuo sold 11,426 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.10, for a total value of $218,236.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 153,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,939,490. This trade represents a 6.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,000 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.05, for a total value of $32,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 321,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,152,627.80. This trade represents a 0.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 39,263 shares of company stock valued at $726,570. 4.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAOI. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in 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 last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the 4th quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the 1st 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.