Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

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

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Rosenblatt Securities reduced their target price on 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 reaffirmed a neutral rating and set a $16.00 price objective (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, TheStreet raised Applied Optoelectronics from a d rating to a c- rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $16.88.

Applied Optoelectronics Price Performance

AAOI stock opened at $11.07 on Thursday. Applied Optoelectronics has a 1 year low of $1.60 and a 1 year 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. The firm 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 simple moving average of $13.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.06.

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

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 9,687.4% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 853,948 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $16,498,000 after acquiring an additional 845,223 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Applied Optoelectronics by 875.9% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 631,799 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $8,757,000 after purchasing an additional 567,056 shares during the last quarter. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong boosted its position in Applied Optoelectronics by 380.6% during the fourth quarter. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong now owns 637,200 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $12,311,000 after purchasing an additional 504,610 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the fourth quarter valued at $9,716,000. Finally, Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the first quarter valued at $2,620,000. Hedge funds and other 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.