Investors Purchase High Volume of Applied Optoelectronics Call Options (NASDAQ:AAOI)

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock investors bought 7,561 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 116% compared to the typical volume of 3,494 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the first quarter valued at about $46,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 272.1% in the second quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 9,281 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $77,000 after buying an additional 6,787 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the second quarter valued at approximately $89,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the second quarter worth approximately $109,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the second quarter worth $118,000. 61.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Optoelectronics Trading Up 13.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ AAOI traded up $1.83 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $15.89. 2,055,770 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,429,090. Applied Optoelectronics has a 12-month low of $6.66 and a 12-month high of $24.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.64. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $10.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $618.25 million, a PE ratio of -8.28 and a beta of 1.96.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.29) by $0.01. Applied Optoelectronics had a negative net margin of 34.84% and a negative return on equity of 19.82%. The company had revenue of $43.27 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.14 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.31) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Applied Optoelectronics will post -1.08 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAOI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. B. Riley lowered their price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $12.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Raymond James raised shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $17.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $9.00 price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on Applied Optoelectronics from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.75.

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.