Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Upgraded to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Thursday morning.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Rosenblatt Securities lowered their target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. B. Riley reissued a neutral rating and set a $16.00 price objective (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, TheStreet raised Applied Optoelectronics from a d rating to a c- rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Optoelectronics currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $16.88.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Up 7.0 %

AAOI opened at $11.07 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $428.74 million, a PE ratio of -6.22 and a beta of 2.12. The business has a 50-day moving average of $13.01 and a 200-day moving average of $15.06. Applied Optoelectronics has a fifty-two week low of $1.60 and a fifty-two week high of $24.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.16.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The semiconductor company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $60.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $65.19 million. Applied Optoelectronics had a negative net margin of 25.75% and a negative return on equity of 13.83%. The company’s revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.27) earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Applied Optoelectronics will post -0.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Chih-Hsiang (Thompson) Lin bought 11,780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $12.66 per share, with a total value of $149,134.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,218,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,421,905.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Che-Wei Lin purchased 31,370 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $12.70 per share, with a total value of $398,399.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 220,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,795,689.10. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Chih-Hsiang (Thompson) Lin acquired 11,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $12.66 per share, for a total transaction of $149,134.80. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,218,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,421,905.60. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,559,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the 4th quarter valued at $9,716,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the third quarter valued at $1,436,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the fourth quarter worth $1,251,000. Finally, Acuitas Investments LLC acquired a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the fourth quarter worth $3,010,000. 61.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.