Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $11.28, but opened at $12.02. Applied Optoelectronics shares last traded at $11.38, with a volume of 900,447 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AAOI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $31.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Northland Securities reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $40.00 target price (up from $25.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, B. Riley raised Applied Optoelectronics from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Optoelectronics currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $23.60.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Up 1.8 %

The firm’s 50-day moving average is $19.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.06. 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 stock has a market cap of $570.79 million, a P/E ratio of -5.56 and a beta of 2.57.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.09) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $100.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $99.92 million. Applied Optoelectronics had a negative return on equity of 22.36% and a negative net margin of 38.61%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. will post -1.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Applied Optoelectronics

In other Applied Optoelectronics news, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,298 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.17, for a total value of $80,820.66. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 209,831 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,379,756.27. This trade represents a 1.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 8,298 shares of company stock worth $253,821 in the last quarter. 4.96% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 3,081 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 3,290.6% in the 3rd 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 during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 27.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 887,259 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $12,697,000 after acquiring an additional 192,308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the third quarter valued at approximately $340,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.72% of the company’s stock.

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.