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

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) to a sell rating in a report released on Wednesday.

AAOI has been the subject of several other reports. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research note on Monday. B. Riley cut 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. Northland Securities reissued 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. Finally, Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $29.20.

Applied Optoelectronics Trading Up 7.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AAOI opened at $25.19 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $30.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.92. Applied Optoelectronics has a 1 year low of $6.70 and a 1 year high of $44.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.23 and a beta of 2.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.09) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by ($0.07). Applied Optoelectronics had a negative return on equity of 22.36% and a negative net margin of 38.61%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Applied Optoelectronics will post -1.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Applied Optoelectronics

In other Applied Optoelectronics news, Director William H. Yeh sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.08, for a total value of $430,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 223,538 shares in the company, valued at $9,630,017.04. This represents a 4.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Min-Chu (Mike) Chen sold 9,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $391,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 165,054 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,602,160. This trade represents a 5.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 46,088 shares of company stock valued at $1,672,801. 5.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,068,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Applied Optoelectronics by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 78,959 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,910,000 after acquiring an additional 11,684 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics during the fourth quarter worth $13,035,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in Applied Optoelectronics by 265.8% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 57,800 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,131,000 after purchasing an additional 42,000 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 588,469 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $21,691,000 after purchasing an additional 55,863 shares during the last quarter. 61.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.