Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Rating Increased to Sell at StockNews.com

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com to a "sell" rating in a report released on Friday.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on AAOI. Northland Securities restated an "outperform" rating and set a $40.00 price objective (up from $25.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics from $27.50 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James raised their target price on Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, B. Riley lowered Applied Optoelectronics from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $14.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $29.20.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Down 7.5 %

NASDAQ AAOI traded down $2.09 on Friday, hitting $25.83. 2,986,275 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,929,510. Applied Optoelectronics has a twelve month low of $6.70 and a twelve month 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 capitalization of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.54 and a beta of 2.36. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $34.31 and a 200 day moving average of $21.68.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Optoelectronics

In other Applied Optoelectronics news, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,298 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.17, for a total value of $80,820.66. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 209,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,379,756.27. The trade was a 1.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider David C. Kuo sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.93, for a total value of $269,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 118,122 shares in the company, valued at $3,181,025.46. This represents a 7.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 103,067 shares of company stock valued at $3,513,238. 5.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AAOI. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 14,667 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $210,000 after acquiring an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 2.9% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 108,814 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $1,557,000 after purchasing an additional 3,081 shares during the period. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its position in Applied Optoelectronics by 24.3% during the third quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 15,862 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 3,097 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 60,348 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,224,000 after buying an additional 5,035 shares during the period. Finally, Pingora Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $82,000. 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.