Acuitas Investments LLC Lowers Stock Position in Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI)

Acuitas Investments LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) by 79.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 75,666 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 288,624 shares during the quarter. Applied Optoelectronics makes up approximately 2.3% of Acuitas Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Acuitas Investments LLC owned about 0.16% of Applied Optoelectronics worth $2,789,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pingora Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $82,000. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 3,290.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,137 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 5,956 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in Applied Optoelectronics in the second quarter worth $118,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the third quarter worth $186,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 24.3% during the 3rd quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 15,862 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 3,097 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 61.72% of the company’s stock.

Applied Optoelectronics Price Performance

NASDAQ:AAOI opened at $25.90 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $31.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.11. The firm has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.57 and a beta of 2.36. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. has a one year low of $6.70 and a one year high of $44.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.61.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Optoelectronics

In related news, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.56, for a total value of $157,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 216,129 shares in the company, valued at $6,821,031.24. The trade was a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Richard B. Black sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.00, for a total transaction of $290,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 157,813 shares in the company, valued at $4,576,577. This trade represents a 5.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 93,067 shares of company stock valued at $3,243,938. 5.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on AAOI. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. 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. B. Riley downgraded Applied Optoelectronics from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $14.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Raymond James lifted their price target on Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Northland Securities reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 price target (up previously from $25.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $29.20.

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.