Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Trading Up 7.9% - What's Next?

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 7.9% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $22.29 and last traded at $22.04. Approximately 1,042,911 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 4,114,351 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.43.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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Applied Optoelectronics Trading Down 8.6 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $810.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.88 and a beta of 2.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a fifty day moving average of $24.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.18.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $99.92 million. On average, research analysts expect that Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. will post -1.18 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Applied Optoelectronics news, Director Richard B. Black sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.00, for a total value of $290,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 157,813 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,576,577. This trade represents a 5.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,298 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.17, for a total value of $80,820.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 209,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,379,756.27. This represents a 1.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,298 shares of company stock valued at $543,821. 4.96% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 36,471 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,524 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the fourth quarter valued at about $5,068,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Applied Optoelectronics by 17.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 78,959 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,910,000 after acquiring an additional 11,684 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,035,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 265.8% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 57,800 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,131,000 after acquiring an additional 42,000 shares during the period. 61.72% of the stock is currently 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.