Applied Optoelectronics Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:AAOI)

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Investors purchased 11,569 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 62% compared to the typical daily volume of 7,148 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on AAOI. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Northland Securities reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $40.00 price target (up from $25.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Raymond James raised their price target on Applied Optoelectronics to $31.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. B. Riley downgraded Applied Optoelectronics from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $14.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $44.00 target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Two equities research 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 MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $27.60.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Optoelectronics

In other Applied Optoelectronics news, Director William H. Yeh sold 10,000 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.08, for a total value of $430,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 223,538 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,630,017.04. The trade was a 4.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,298 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.17, for a total transaction of $80,820.66. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 209,831 shares in the company, valued at $7,379,756.27. This trade represents a 1.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 36,298 shares of company stock worth $1,281,201 over the last quarter. 5.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 858.2% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,284 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 4th quarter valued at $63,000. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 17.6% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,262 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares during the period. Finally, Pingora Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 3rd quarter worth $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.72% of the company's stock.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAOI traded down $4.14 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $17.72. 7,976,405 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,708,437. Applied Optoelectronics has a twelve month low of $6.70 and a twelve month high of $44.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market cap of $830.50 million, a P/E ratio of -8.60 and a beta of 2.36. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $30.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.24.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $100.27 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.92 million. Applied Optoelectronics had a negative return on equity of 22.36% and a negative net margin of 38.61%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Optoelectronics will post -1.18 EPS for the current year.

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.