Hung-Lun (Fred) Chang Sells 32,172 Shares of Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Stock

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) insider Hung-Lun Chang sold 32,172 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.21, for a total transaction of $3,545,676.12. Following the sale, the insider owned 249,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,472,707.96. The trade was a 11.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Hung-Lun (Fred) Chang also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, June 17th, Hung-Lun Chang sold 40,329 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.60, for a total transaction of $6,880,127.40.
• On Friday, June 12th, Hung-Lun Chang sold 34,000 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.53, for a total value of $5,662,020.00.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Performance

Shares of AAOI stock opened at $105.36 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -135.08 and a beta of 3.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 2.13. The business has a fifty day moving average of $114.43 and a 200 day moving average of $131.36. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. has a 1 year low of $18.50 and a 1 year high of $233.67.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Friday, August 7th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $178.00 price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Optoelectronics currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $139.40.

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.

Institutional Trading of Applied Optoelectronics

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of 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 period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 2nd quarter valued at $7,719,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 2nd quarter valued at $955,672,000. Andar Capital Management HK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 1st quarter valued at $11,335,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics during the first quarter worth $4,125,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.70% of the company’s stock.

About Applied Optoelectronics

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.