VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Buys Shares of 8,400 Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. $AAOI

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 8,400 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,245,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 1,923.7% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 769 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 731 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Applied Optoelectronics by 166.7% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,200 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. EFG International AG purchased a new position in Applied Optoelectronics in the second quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new position in Applied Optoelectronics during the 2nd quarter worth $47,000. 61.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Optoelectronics Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAOI opened at $105.36 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.91 billion, a PE ratio of -135.08 and a beta of 3.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $18.50 and a twelve month high of $233.67. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $114.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $131.36.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $178.00 price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Optoelectronics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Applied Optoelectronics from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Applied Optoelectronics in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of Applied Optoelectronics from $220.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $139.40.

Applied Optoelectronics News Roundup

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.

Insider Transactions at Applied Optoelectronics

In related news, insider Hung-Lun Chang sold 32,172 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.21, for a total value of $3,545,676.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 249,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,472,707.96. This represents a 11.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Shu-Hua Yeh sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.73, for a total value of $886,380.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 377,498 shares in the company, valued at $55,767,779.54. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 98,501 shares of company stock worth $14,003,877. Corporate insiders own 3.80% of the company’s stock.

Applied Optoelectronics Profile

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.