Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) Insider Hung-Lun (Fred) Chang Sells 15,784 Shares

Key Points

• Hung-Lun (Fred) Chang, an insider at Applied Optoelectronics, sold 15,784 shares of the company's stock on August 13th for a total of $358,296.80, reducing his ownership by 5.80%.
• Applied Optoelectronics reported a quarterly loss of ($0.16) EPS, missing expectations, with revenue of $102.95 million—up 137.9% from the same quarter last year.
• The company's stock price fell 8.7% to $21.01, and it has been rated as a "Hold" with a consensus target price of $27.20.

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) insider Hung-Lun (Fred) Chang sold 15,784 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.70, for a total transaction of $358,296.80. Following the sale, the insider owned 256,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,818,600.20. This represents a 5.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Down 11.3%

Shares of AAOI traded down $2.96 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $23.17. The company had a trading volume of 2,596,392 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,426,108. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.02 and a beta of 2.72. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $24.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.19. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $8.43 and a 52-week high of $44.50. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by ($0.08). Applied Optoelectronics had a negative return on equity of 10.60% and a negative net margin of 42.29%. The firm 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) EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 137.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. will post -1.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAOI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Northland Securities set a $30.00 target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Friday, July 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $32.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered Applied Optoelectronics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. B. Riley reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $15.00 price target (up from $13.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Optoelectronics currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.20.

Institutional Trading of Applied Optoelectronics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Applied Optoelectronics by 497.5% in the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 962 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 801 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in Applied Optoelectronics by 243.9% during the first quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 2,297 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,629 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Optoelectronics by 85.9% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,785 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 825 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Finally, Pinpoint Asset Management Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics during the 2nd quarter valued at $49,000. 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.