Stefan Murry Sells 4,000 Shares of Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Stock

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) CFO Stefan Murry sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.33, for a total value of $421,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 367,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,673,805.44. This trade represents a 1.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of AAOI opened at $105.36 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $8.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -135.08 and a beta of 3.79. The company has a quick ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $18.50 and a 12 month high of $233.67. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $114.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $131.36.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The semiconductor company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $191.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $190.48 million. Applied Optoelectronics had a negative return on equity of 1.98% and a negative net margin of 9.57%.The business’s revenue was up 86.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.16) earnings per share. Applied Optoelectronics has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.110-0.260 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. will post 0.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Optoelectronics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAOI. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 1,923.7% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 769 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 731 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank bought a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Applied Optoelectronics by 166.7% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,200 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares during the period. EFG International AG acquired a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the second quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the second quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors own 61.70% of the company’s stock.

Key Applied Optoelectronics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Optoelectronics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Optoelectronics is expanding capacity for 800G and 1.6T optical products as AI infrastructure investment drives demand for faster data-center connectivity. The growth opportunity strengthens AAOI’s competitive position against larger rivals such as Lumentum and Coherent. AAOI’s Optical Networking Demand Rise: Can It Beat LITE and COHR?
• Positive Sentiment: The company is expanding its operating footprint through the acquisition of a Houston facility, a move that could provide additional manufacturing or operational capacity to support expected customer demand. Applied Optoelectronics Expands Operations with Houston Facility Acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and investors continue comparing AAOI with networking and optical-component peers, including Arista Networks. The comparison highlights the company’s AI-networking opportunity but also its smaller scale, losses and high valuation risk. Critical Analysis: Arista Networks versus Applied Optoelectronics
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Financial Officer Stefan Murry sold 4,000 shares worth approximately $421,000, while director Hung-Lun Fred Chang previously sold 32,172 shares worth about $3.5 million. Murry’s transaction was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and he retains a substantial position, reducing—but not eliminating—the bearish signal.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $178.00 price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, B. Riley Financial restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $139.40.

About Applied Optoelectronics

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc develops and manufactures fiber-optic networking products and components. Its offerings include optical transceivers, transponders, modules and related equipment used to transmit data over fiber-optic networks.

The company serves several communications markets, including data centers, telecommunications, broadband access and cable television. Its products support applications such as high-speed data transmission, cloud computing, network infrastructure and fiber-based broadband services.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, Applied Optoelectronics serves customers in North America, Asia and other international markets.