Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $29.20.

AAOI has been the topic of several analyst reports. 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. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. B. Riley cut shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $14.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $27.50 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th.

Insider Transactions at Applied Optoelectronics

In related news, Director Richard B. Black sold 8,162 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.18, for a total value of $303,463.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.72, for a total value of $126,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 212,129 shares in the company, valued at $6,728,731.88. This represents a 1.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 100,769 shares of company stock worth $3,432,417. 5.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Affinity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the 4th quarter valued at $7,965,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Applied Optoelectronics in the fourth quarter valued at $12,731,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the third quarter valued at about $353,000. Barclays PLC boosted 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 worth $815,000 after buying an additional 15,507 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 7.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 909,559 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $13,018,000 after buying an additional 60,241 shares during the period. 61.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Optoelectronics Price Performance

Applied Optoelectronics stock opened at $33.30 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Applied Optoelectronics has a 52-week low of $6.70 and a 52-week high of $44.50. The firm has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of -16.17 and a beta of 2.39. The company’s 50 day moving average is $34.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.69.

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.