Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on AAOI. Raymond James lowered their target price 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. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics to $30.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, B. Riley upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $13.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Optoelectronics presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $22.00.

Applied Optoelectronics Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of AAOI stock traded down $0.43 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $16.44. 2,795,191 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,326,601. The firm has a market cap of $913.14 million, a P/E ratio of -7.98 and a beta of 2.64. 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 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.61. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $14.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.71.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $99.86 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.37 million. Applied Optoelectronics had a negative net margin of 38.61% and a negative return on equity of 22.36%. Applied Optoelectronics's revenue was up 145.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.31) earnings per share. 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 the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.10, for a total value of $218,236.60. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 153,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,939,490. The trade was a 6.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Hung-Lun (Fred) Chang sold 23,837 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.06, for a total transaction of $454,333.22. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 278,842 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,314,728.52. This represents a 7.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 39,263 shares of company stock valued at $740,590 in the last three months. 4.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Applied Optoelectronics

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 243.9% during the 1st quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 2,297 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,629 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Applied Optoelectronics by 858.2% during the fourth 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 position in Applied Optoelectronics during the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the first quarter worth about $66,000. 61.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.