Barclays PLC Has $8.03 Million Stake in Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI)

Barclays PLC grew its stake in Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI - Free Report) by 282.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 217,800 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 160,880 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.46% of Applied Optoelectronics worth $8,027,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AAOI. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Applied Optoelectronics by 858.2% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,284 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 17.6% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,262 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 637 shares during the period. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the fourth quarter worth $229,000. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the fourth quarter valued at $245,000. 61.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AAOI traded down $0.23 during trading on Friday, hitting $12.56. 1,856,088 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,149,300. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $16.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.86. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $6.70 and a 52 week 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. The company has a market cap of $695.11 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.10 and a beta of 2.57.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $100.27 million for 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. will post -1.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AAOI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $20.00 price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Thursday. B. Riley upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $13.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Applied Optoelectronics to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reduced their price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $36.00 to $30.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $22.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.06, for a total value of $46,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 196,581 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,533,157.86. This trade represents a 1.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 4.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.