Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Trading Down 4.2% – Should You Sell?

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) shares were down 4.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $34.68 and last traded at $34.91. Approximately 483,620 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 2,729,015 shares. The stock had previously closed at $36.43.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAOI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Northland Securities increased their target price on Applied Optoelectronics from $18.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on Applied Optoelectronics from $27.50 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. 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 note on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com raised Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $23.00.

Applied Optoelectronics Trading Down 2.3 %

The company has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a PE ratio of -17.68 and a beta of 2.37. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $26.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider David C. Kuo sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.93, for a total value of $269,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 118,122 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,181,025.46. This represents a 7.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 216,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,821,031.24. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 86,769 shares of company stock valued at $2,813,037. Insiders own 5.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $956,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $109,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in Applied Optoelectronics by 272.1% during the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 9,281 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 6,787 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $449,000. Finally, Acuitas Investments LLC grew its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 38.4% in the 2nd quarter. Acuitas Investments LLC now owns 331,221 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,746,000 after buying an additional 91,885 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.