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

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on AAOI. B. Riley downgraded Applied Optoelectronics from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $14.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $27.50 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Northland Securities restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective (up previously from $25.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $29.20.

Applied Optoelectronics Trading Up 10.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AAOI traded up $3.15 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $33.30. 4,498,076 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,032,352. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $34.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $20.69. Applied Optoelectronics has a 1-year low of $6.70 and a 1-year high of $44.50. The firm has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a P/E ratio of -16.17 and a beta of 2.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.72, for a total value of $126,880.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 212,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,728,731.88. The trade was a 1.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider David C. Kuo sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.93, for a total transaction of $269,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 118,122 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,181,025.46. The trade was a 7.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 100,769 shares of company stock worth $3,432,417 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 5.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAOI. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 3.4% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 14,667 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $210,000 after buying an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 108,814 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,557,000 after acquiring an additional 3,081 shares during the period. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 24.3% in the 3rd quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 15,862 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $227,000 after acquiring an additional 3,097 shares during the period. Pingora Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics during the 3rd quarter valued at $82,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its position in Applied Optoelectronics by 3,290.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,137 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 5,956 shares during the period. 61.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.