Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Stock Price Down 4.4% Following Insider Selling

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI)’s share price fell 4.4% during trading on Friday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $30.97 and last traded at $31.08. 1,256,881 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 56% from the average session volume of 2,825,300 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.50.

Specifically, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 2,298 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.17, for a total transaction of $80,820.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 209,831 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,379,756.27. This represents a 1.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on Applied Optoelectronics from $27.50 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. B. Riley lowered Applied Optoelectronics from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $14.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Northland Securities restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective (up previously from $25.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.20.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.90 and a beta of 2.39.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Pingora Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics during the third quarter worth $82,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 3,290.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $89,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the second quarter valued at about $118,000. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Applied Optoelectronics in the third quarter worth about $186,000. 61.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.