Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $27.40.

AAOI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics to $31.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. B. Riley upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $13.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Northland Securities restated an "outperform" rating and set a $40.00 target price (up from $25.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and set a $44.00 target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

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Applied Optoelectronics Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of AAOI stock traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $15.82. 3,588,233 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,800,398. The business's fifty day moving average is $28.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Applied Optoelectronics has a 12-month low of $6.70 and a 12-month high of $44.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $785.48 million, a P/E ratio of -7.68 and a beta of 2.36.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.09) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.02) by ($0.07). Applied Optoelectronics had a negative return on equity of 22.36% and a negative net margin of 38.61%. The firm had revenue of $100.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $99.92 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Applied Optoelectronics will post -1.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Optoelectronics news, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 4,000 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.72, for a total value of $126,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 212,129 shares in the company, valued at $6,728,731.88. The trade was a 1.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Richard B. Black sold 10,000 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.27, for a total value of $352,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 167,813 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,918,764.51. This trade represents a 5.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 26,298 shares of company stock worth $850,401 over the last 90 days. 5.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AAOI. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $186,000. Kovack Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $780,000. Royce & Associates LP lifted its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 47.7% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,596,545 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $22,847,000 after purchasing an additional 515,489 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 108,814 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,557,000 after purchasing an additional 3,081 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 345,612 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $4,946,000 after purchasing an additional 16,017 shares in the last quarter. 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.