Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Stock Price Down 4.7% – Time to Sell?

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI)’s share price dropped 4.7% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $21.06 and last traded at $21.24. Approximately 431,774 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 2,918,738 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.28.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $36.00 target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Friday, March 14th. B. Riley upgraded Applied Optoelectronics from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $25.80.

Applied Optoelectronics Trading Down 4.3 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of -10.36 and a beta of 2.36. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $24.83 and a 200-day moving average of $25.20.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) last posted its quarterly 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 analysts’ expectations 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. will post -1.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Optoelectronics

In other news, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.06, for a total transaction of $46,120.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 196,581 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,533,157.86. This trade represents a 1.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Richard B. Black sold 10,000 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.00, for a total transaction of $290,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 157,813 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,576,577. The trade was a 5.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 18,298 shares of company stock worth $543,821 over the last ninety days. 4.96% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in Applied Optoelectronics by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 36,471 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,524 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the fourth quarter worth $5,068,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 78,959 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $2,910,000 after buying an additional 11,684 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 4th quarter worth $13,035,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 265.8% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 57,800 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,131,000 after buying an additional 42,000 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.