Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Earns “Outperform” Rating from Northland Securities

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating restated by stock analysts at Northland Securities in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $40.00 price target on the semiconductor company’s stock, up from their previous price target of $25.00. Northland Securities’ target price points to a potential upside of 24.57% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on AAOI. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on Applied Optoelectronics from $27.50 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Raymond James increased their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, B. Riley cut shares of 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $26.00.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Down 8.5 %

Shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock opened at $32.11 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.61. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.22. Applied Optoelectronics has a 52-week low of $6.70 and a 52-week high of $44.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a PE ratio of -15.59 and a beta of 2.37.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Elizabeth G. Loboa sold 13,494 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.54, for a total transaction of $493,070.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 124,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,549,230. The trade was a 9.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.56, for a total value of $157,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 216,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,821,031.24. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 86,769 shares of company stock valued at $2,813,037. 5.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Applied Optoelectronics

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 3.4% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 2.9% in the third 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 last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 24.3% in the third 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 bought a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the third quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake 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 last quarter. 61.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.