Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Shares Gap Down After Insider Selling

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday following insider selling activity. The stock had previously closed at $33.30, but opened at $32.24. Applied Optoelectronics shares last traded at $32.53, with a volume of 263,087 shares traded.

Specifically, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,298 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 209,831 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,379,756.27. This trade represents a 1.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.72, for a total transaction of $126,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 212,129 shares in the company, valued at $6,728,731.88. This trade represents a 1.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In related news, Director Richard B. Black sold 10,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director now owns 157,813 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,576,577. This represents a 5.96 % 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 link.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AAOI. StockNews.com upgraded Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $27.50 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Northland Securities reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective (up from $25.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. 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 report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.20.

Applied Optoelectronics Trading Down 5.6 %

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $34.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Institutional Trading of Applied Optoelectronics

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AAOI. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,124,000. Affinity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,965,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $12,731,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $353,000. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 37.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,920 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $815,000 after buying an additional 15,507 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 61.72% of the company’s stock.

Applied Optoelectronics Company Profile

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.