Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Applied Optoelectronics Put Options (NASDAQ:AAOI)

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors acquired 8,922 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 70% compared to the average daily volume of 5,246 put options.

Applied Optoelectronics Price Performance

AAOI traded up $4.80 on Friday, reaching $41.22. The stock had a trading volume of 3,853,479 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,653,389. Applied Optoelectronics has a fifty-two week low of $6.70 and a fifty-two week high of $43.05. The company has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -20.01 and a beta of 1.96. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $21.50 and a 200-day moving average of $14.09. 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 other news, Director Elizabeth G. Loboa sold 13,494 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.54, for a total transaction of $493,070.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 124,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,549,230. The trade was a 9.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.56, for a total value of $157,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 216,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,821,031.24. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 66,979 shares of company stock valued at $1,990,637 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 5.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 29.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,954,498 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $27,089,000 after buying an additional 442,277 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 47.7% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,596,545 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $22,847,000 after buying an additional 515,489 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics during the 3rd quarter valued at $19,019,000. Whale Rock Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 3rd quarter worth $16,145,000. Finally, Shellback Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 2nd quarter worth $8,617,000. 61.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on AAOI. B. Riley lowered their price target on Applied Optoelectronics from $12.00 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Raymond James boosted their price target on Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. B. Riley Financial reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $9.00 price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Northland Securities upped their target price on Applied Optoelectronics from $18.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Applied Optoelectronics to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Optoelectronics currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $18.70.

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.