Nuveen LLC Makes New $1.64 Million Investment in Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. $AAOI

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC acquired 107,022 shares of Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. valued at approximately $1.64 million, representing a 0.19% ownership stake in the company.
• The semiconductor company reported a quarterly earnings miss with a loss of ($0.16) per share, falling short of the projected ($0.08) loss, despite a significant revenue increase of 137.9% year-over-year.
• Analysts have mixed views on the stock, with some upgrades setting price targets between $25.00 and $34.00, while the average price target is currently at $27.20, indicating a market consensus of a Moderate Buy.

Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 107,022 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $1,643,000. Nuveen LLC owned approximately 0.19% of Applied Optoelectronics at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 15.9% in the first quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,036 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $200,000 after purchasing an additional 1,790 shares in the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 1st quarter worth about $291,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 1st quarter worth about $370,000. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 4th quarter worth about $423,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 16,333 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $602,000 after acquiring an additional 1,666 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.72% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Optoelectronics

In other Applied Optoelectronics news, Director Min-Chu (Mike) Chen purchased 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $22.91 per share, for a total transaction of $171,825.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $515,475. The trade was a 50.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.37, for a total value of $268,440.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 298,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,676,930.49. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 44,100 shares of company stock worth $1,000,878 and sold 32,784 shares worth $741,217. Insiders own 4.50% of the company's stock.

Applied Optoelectronics Price Performance

Shares of AAOI stock traded down $1.29 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $24.20. The company had a trading volume of 3,695,546 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,597,275. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $9.13 and a 12 month high of $44.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.20 and a beta of 2.91. The firm's fifty day moving average is $25.21 and its 200 day moving average is $19.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.11.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by ($0.08). Applied Optoelectronics had a negative net margin of 42.29% and a negative return on equity of 10.60%. The company had revenue of $102.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $104.96 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.28) earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 137.9% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Optoelectronics has set its Q3 2025 guidance at -0.100--0.030 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. will post -1.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AAOI shares. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on Applied Optoelectronics in a research note on Friday, July 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $32.00 price target on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on Applied Optoelectronics from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen lowered Applied Optoelectronics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Applied Optoelectronics in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, B. Riley restated a "neutral" rating and set a $15.00 price target (up from $13.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $27.20.

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.