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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.45, for a total value of $685,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 447,906 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,793,483.70. This trade represents a 0.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAOI traded down $2.35 during trading on Thursday, hitting $172.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 14,304,224 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,427,586. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 3.03 and a current ratio of 3.83. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $15.29 and a fifty-two week high of $233.67. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $160.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $90.38. The company has a market capitalization of $13.86 billion, a PE ratio of -261.79 and a beta of 3.66.

Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The semiconductor company reported ($0.07) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by ($0.02). Applied Optoelectronics had a negative net margin of 8.55% and a negative return on equity of 4.64%. The firm had revenue of $151.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.98 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.02) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 51.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Optoelectronics has set its Q2 2026 guidance at -0.030-0.030 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. will post 0.6 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Applied Optoelectronics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James highlighted major upside potential for Applied Optoelectronics, adding to bullish sentiment around the name. Raymond James sees major upside for Applied Optoelectronics
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced an expanded Spectrum partnership, with AOI’s QuantumLink network management software being deployed across Spectrum’s 1.8GHz amplifier footprint, reinforcing its role in broadband and AI-networking infrastructure. Spectrum Deploys AOI’s Intelligent Network Management Software Across Its Connected 1.8GHz Amplifier Footprint
• Positive Sentiment: Shares rallied with other optical-networking stocks as investors rotated back into the AI infrastructure trade, which helped lift AAOI alongside peers such as Lumentum and Coherent. Applied Optoelectronics Jumps 7%, Lumentum Climbs 5%, Coherent Rises 2% as Optics Stocks Ride the AI Boom
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed AAOI as a high-potential AI networking stock, but these were largely commentary pieces rather than new fundamental catalysts. Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) Is A High Potential AI Networking Stock, Here’s Why You Should Buy It
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling by director Shu-Hua (Joshua) Yeh may attract some attention, but the transaction was modest relative to the recent rally. Shu-Hua (Joshua) Yeh Sells 10,000 Shares of Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ:AAOI) Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst and valuation commentary noted that AAOI is trading at a premium multiple versus the broader sector, which could limit upside if growth expectations cool. Is AAOI Stock Worth Betting on at a Premium or Should Investors Wait?
• Negative Sentiment: One report suggested networking stocks, including AAOI, sold off after a delay in a CPO rollout, highlighting execution risk in the optical networking space. Applied Optoelectronics leads networking stocks down following report on CPO rollout delay

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAOI has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Applied Optoelectronics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Wednesday. Northland Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on Applied Optoelectronics from $43.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell 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 $79.80.

Institutional Trading of Applied Optoelectronics

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in 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 period. NFSG Corp acquired a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $85,000. Comerica Bank acquired a new stake in Applied Optoelectronics in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Applied Optoelectronics by 166.7% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the 4th quarter valued at $55,000. 61.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Optoelectronics Company Profile

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc develops and manufactures high-speed fiber-optic networking products designed to support the growing bandwidth demands of data centers, telecommunications carriers and internet content providers. The company’s core offerings include pluggable optical transceiver modules, transponders and optical components that enable data transmission at rates ranging from 1G to 400G. These products are used to facilitate long-haul, metro and intra-data center connectivity, addressing the need for scalable, low-latency and energy-efficient solutions in modern network infrastructures.

The company’s product portfolio spans small-form factor pluggable modules such as SFP+, QSFP+ and QSFP28 units, as well as more advanced form factors like CFP2 and OSFP for ultra-high-speed applications.