WINTON GROUP Ltd Makes New $1.81 Million Investment in Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. $AAOI

WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 12,239 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,813,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in Applied Optoelectronics by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 70,464 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $5,961,000 after purchasing an additional 13,265 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB acquired a new position in Applied Optoelectronics in the second quarter valued at $7,719,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $955,672,000. Andar Capital Management HK Ltd bought a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 1st quarter worth approximately $11,335,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the first quarter worth $4,125,000. 61.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Applied Optoelectronics News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Optoelectronics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Optoelectronics is expanding capacity for 800G and 1.6T optical products as AI infrastructure investment drives demand for faster data-center connectivity. The growth opportunity strengthens AAOI’s competitive position against larger rivals such as Lumentum and Coherent. AAOI’s Optical Networking Demand Rise: Can It Beat LITE and COHR?
• Positive Sentiment: The company is expanding its operating footprint through the acquisition of a Houston facility, a move that could provide additional manufacturing or operational capacity to support expected customer demand. Applied Optoelectronics Expands Operations with Houston Facility Acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and investors continue comparing AAOI with networking and optical-component peers, including Arista Networks. The comparison highlights the company’s AI-networking opportunity but also its smaller scale, losses and high valuation risk. Critical Analysis: Arista Networks versus Applied Optoelectronics
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Financial Officer Stefan Murry sold 4,000 shares worth approximately $421,000, while director Hung-Lun Fred Chang previously sold 32,172 shares worth about $3.5 million. Murry’s transaction was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and he retains a substantial position, reducing—but not eliminating—the bearish signal.

Applied Optoelectronics Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of AAOI stock opened at $105.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 2.13 and a current ratio of 2.78. The company has a market capitalization of $8.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -135.08 and a beta of 3.79. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $18.50 and a 52-week high of $233.67. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.36.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The semiconductor company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.04. Applied Optoelectronics had a negative net margin of 9.57% and a negative return on equity of 1.98%. The firm had revenue of $191.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $190.48 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.16) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 86.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Optoelectronics has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.110-0.260 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. will post 0.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAOI has been the subject of several research reports. B. Riley Financial reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Applied Optoelectronics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on Applied Optoelectronics from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $178.00 price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Applied Optoelectronics from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $139.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Optoelectronics news, insider Shu-Hua Yeh sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.73, for a total value of $886,380.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 377,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,767,779.54. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Stefan Murry sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.33, for a total transaction of $421,320.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 367,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,673,805.44. The trade was a 1.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 98,501 shares of company stock worth $14,003,877. 3.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Applied Optoelectronics Company Profile

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc develops and manufactures fiber-optic networking products and components. Its offerings include optical transceivers, transponders, modules and related equipment used to transmit data over fiber-optic networks.

The company serves several communications markets, including data centers, telecommunications, broadband access and cable television. Its products support applications such as high-speed data transmission, cloud computing, network infrastructure and fiber-based broadband services.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, Applied Optoelectronics serves customers in North America, Asia and other international markets.