Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $27.60.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. B. Riley downgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $14.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics to $31.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Northland Securities reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 price target (up from $25.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Wednesday, December 18th.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Down 14.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ AAOI opened at $15.55 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Applied Optoelectronics has a 52 week low of $6.70 and a 52 week high of $44.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $29.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $728.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.55 and a beta of 2.36.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by ($0.07). Applied Optoelectronics had a negative net margin of 38.61% and a negative return on equity of 22.36%. The company had revenue of $100.27 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.92 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Optoelectronics will post -1.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Applied Optoelectronics

In related news, Director Richard B. Black sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.00, for a total value of $290,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 157,813 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,576,577. The trade was a 5.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,298 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.17, for a total transaction of $80,820.66. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 209,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,379,756.27. This trade represents a 1.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 26,298 shares of company stock worth $850,401. 5.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 858.2% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,284 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the fourth quarter worth $63,000. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,262 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 637 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pingora Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the third quarter worth $82,000. 61.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Applied Optoelectronics

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.