Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Stock Price Down 4.4% – What’s Next?

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) fell 4.4% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $35.91 and last traded at $36.15. 1,270,735 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 54% from the average session volume of 2,755,815 shares. The stock had previously closed at $37.82.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. B. Riley lowered Applied Optoelectronics from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $14.00 target price on the stock. in a 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. 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 report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com raised shares of Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities upped 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. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Optoelectronics presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $29.20.

Applied Optoelectronics Trading Up 8.4 %

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $28.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $1.87 billion, a PE ratio of -19.33 and a beta of 2.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.56, for a total transaction of $157,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 216,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,821,031.24. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Richard B. Black sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.27, for a total transaction of $352,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 167,813 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,918,764.51. The trade was a 5.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 86,769 shares of company stock worth $3,015,537 over the last quarter. 5.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pingora Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the third quarter worth $82,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Applied Optoelectronics by 3,290.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,137 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 5,956 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 272.1% in the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 9,281 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 6,787 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $89,000. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the third quarter worth about $186,000. 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.