Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $31.20.

AAOI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Northland Securities raised their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Raymond James Financial set a $25.00 price objective on Applied Optoelectronics and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen cut Applied Optoelectronics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Wolfe Research began coverage on Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on Applied Optoelectronics from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Down 3.3%

AAOI stock opened at $21.59 on Monday. Applied Optoelectronics has a twelve month low of $7.60 and a twelve month high of $44.50. The company has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.43 and a beta of 2.72. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $23.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $102.95 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $104.96 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.28) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 137.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Applied Optoelectronics will post -1.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Applied Optoelectronics

In other Applied Optoelectronics news, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 3,000 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.46, for a total value of $82,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 318,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,733,268.56. The trade was a 0.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Hung-Lun (Fred) Chang sold 23,837 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.06, for a total value of $454,333.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 40,263 shares of company stock valued at $787,050. Company insiders own 4.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Applied Optoelectronics by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,429,418 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $89,548,000 after acquiring an additional 241,594 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Applied Optoelectronics in the 1st quarter valued at $370,000. Royce & Associates LP raised its holdings in Applied Optoelectronics by 15.2% in the 1st quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 876,543 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $13,455,000 after acquiring an additional 115,853 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Applied Optoelectronics by 31.1% in the 1st quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 40,000 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $614,000 after acquiring an additional 9,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Polymer Capital Management HK LTD acquired a new position in Applied Optoelectronics in the 4th quarter valued at $1,102,000. 61.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.