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

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) was the recipient of some unusual 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 daily volume of 5,741 call options.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Hung-Lun (Fred) Chang sold 20,323 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.35, for a total value of $616,803.05. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 195,572 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,935,610.20. The trade was a 9.41 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Stefan J. Murry sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 86,769 shares of company stock worth $2,813,037. 5.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 14,667 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $210,000 after purchasing an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 2.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 108,814 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,557,000 after buying an additional 3,081 shares during the period. Truvestments Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 24.3% during the third quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 15,862 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 3,097 shares in the last quarter. Pingora Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics during the third quarter worth $82,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 3,290.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,137 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 5,956 shares during the period. 61.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Down 21.7 %

NASDAQ AAOI opened at $34.48 on Friday. Applied Optoelectronics has a 1-year low of $6.70 and a 1-year high of $44.50. 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’s 50 day moving average is $23.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.76. The company has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.74 and a beta of 2.37.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAOI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Northland Securities lifted their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics from $18.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on Applied Optoelectronics from $20.00 to $27.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. B. Riley Financial restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $9.00 price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $17.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, StockNews.com raised 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 issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.70.

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.