Stefan J. Murry Sells 2,298 Shares of Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) Stock

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,298 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Applied Optoelectronics Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of AAOI opened at $32.50 on Friday. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $6.70 and a 1-year high of $44.50. The company has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.78 and a beta of 2.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $34.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.78.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on AAOI. StockNews.com upgraded Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $27.50 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Northland Securities reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 target price (up previously from $25.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. 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 report 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.20.

Institutional Trading of Applied Optoelectronics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royce & Associates LP grew its position in Applied Optoelectronics by 47.7% in the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,596,545 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $22,847,000 after acquiring an additional 515,489 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP purchased a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 3rd quarter worth about $19,019,000. Whale Rock Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 3rd quarter worth about $16,145,000. Shellback Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $8,617,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 909,559 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $13,018,000 after buying an additional 60,241 shares in the last quarter. 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.