Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Stock Price Down 4.2% - Should You Sell?

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 4.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $21.19 and last traded at $21.19. 4,342,390 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 4% from the average session volume of 4,180,287 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.11.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. B. Riley upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $13.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Northland Securities reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $40.00 target price (up previously from $25.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics to $31.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Optoelectronics presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $25.80.

Remove Ads

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Down 3.9 %

The firm has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.79 and a beta of 2.36. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $25.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.61.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.09) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.92 million. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. will post -1.18 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Applied Optoelectronics

In other news, Director Richard B. Black sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 owns 157,813 shares in the company, valued at $4,576,577. This represents a 5.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.06, for a total transaction of $46,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 196,581 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,533,157.86. The trade was a 1.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 18,298 shares of company stock worth $543,821 in the last quarter. 5.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAOI. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the third quarter valued at about $19,019,000. Whale Rock Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the third quarter valued at about $16,145,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,331,000. Yong Rong HK Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,645,000. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the fourth quarter valued at about $23,354,000. 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.