Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Rating Increased to Sell at StockNews.com

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com to a "sell" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

AAOI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Raymond James raised their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. B. Riley cut Applied Optoelectronics from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $14.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics from $27.50 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Northland Securities reiterated 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Optoelectronics has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $29.20.

Applied Optoelectronics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AAOI traded up $2.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $37.90. 2,404,191 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,946,146. The stock has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a PE ratio of -18.40 and a beta of 2.39. The business's fifty day moving average is $31.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.56. Applied Optoelectronics has a one year low of $6.70 and a one year high of $44.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Optoelectronics

In related news, Director Richard B. Black sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.27, for a total transaction of $352,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 167,813 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,918,764.51. This represents a 5.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.56, for a total transaction of $157,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 216,129 shares in the company, valued at $6,821,031.24. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 86,769 shares of company stock worth $3,015,537 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 5.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Pingora Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $82,000. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 3,290.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,137 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 5,956 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 272.1% during the second quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 9,281 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 6,787 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the second quarter valued at $89,000. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the third quarter worth about $186,000. Institutional investors own 61.72% of the company's stock.

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.

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