Applied Optoelectronics Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:AAOI)

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders acquired 16,656 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 190% compared to the typical volume of 5,741 call options.

Applied Optoelectronics Trading Up 12.8 %

Shares of AAOI opened at $38.88 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.87 and a beta of 2.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.61. Applied Optoelectronics has a fifty-two week low of $6.70 and a fifty-two week high of $44.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $24.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.08.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Northland Securities lifted their target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $18.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $20.00 to $27.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Optoelectronics presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.70.

Insider Transactions at Applied Optoelectronics

In other news, Director William H. Yeh sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.08, for a total value of $430,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 223,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,630,017.04. This trade represents a 4.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.56, for a total transaction of $157,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 216,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,821,031.24. This trade represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 86,769 shares of company stock worth $2,813,037 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 5.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AAOI. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake 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 worth $77,000 after buying an additional 6,787 shares during the period. Pingora Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the third quarter worth $82,000. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 3,290.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,137 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 5,956 shares during the period. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the second quarter worth $89,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the second quarter worth $109,000. 61.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.