Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) Shares Sold by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lowered its holdings in Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) by 93.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,822 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 107,524 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Applied Optoelectronics were worth $112,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AAOI. Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in Applied Optoelectronics by 47.7% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,596,545 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $22,847,000 after purchasing an additional 515,489 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the third quarter worth about $19,019,000. Shellback Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the second quarter worth about $8,617,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 4.1% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 616,701 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,113,000 after buying an additional 24,259 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 51.1% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 541,787 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $4,491,000 after buying an additional 183,260 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.72% of the company’s stock.

Applied Optoelectronics Trading Up 5.8 %

AAOI opened at $33.97 on Thursday. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $6.70 and a 12-month high of $44.50. 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 $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of -16.49 and a beta of 2.37. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $27.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.34.

Insider Transactions at Applied Optoelectronics

In other news, Director Richard B. Black sold 10,000 shares of Applied Optoelectronics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.27, for a total value of $352,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 167,813 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,918,764.51. This trade represents a 5.62 % decrease in their position. The sale 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 company’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 value of $157,800.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 216,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,821,031.24. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 96,769 shares of company stock valued at $3,165,737. Insiders own 5.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AAOI shares. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on Applied Optoelectronics from $27.50 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. B. Riley downgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $14.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of Applied Optoelectronics to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Northland Securities reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 target price (up from $25.00) on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Wednesday. Two equities research 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Optoelectronics currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $26.00.

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.