Stefan J. Murry Sells 2,000 Shares of Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) Stock

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.06, for a total value of $46,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 196,581 shares in the company, valued at $4,533,157.86. This represents a 1.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Applied Optoelectronics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAOI opened at $21.08 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.23 and a beta of 2.36. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $25.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.89. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $6.70 and a 12 month high of $44.50.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in Applied Optoelectronics by 4.4% in the 4th 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. purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,068,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 78,959 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,910,000 after buying an additional 11,684 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,035,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 265.8% during 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 in the last quarter. 61.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAOI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Northland Securities reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $40.00 target price (up previously from $25.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. B. Riley raised shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Friday, March 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price target on Applied Optoelectronics to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $25.80.

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.