Applied Optoelectronics jumps as investors refocus on hyperscale AI-optics orders and upcoming Q1 results date

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AAOI) is up 11.5% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The move looks tied to renewed momentum in the “AI data center optics” trade after Applied Optoelectronics highlighted fresh timing for its upcoming first-quarter results, while investors continue to re-rate the company on recently announced hyperscale 800G and 1.6T transceiver orders. This could also be amplified by speculative positioning given AAOI’s history of sharp, news-driven swings.

Details:

Applied Optoelectronics posted a company update on April 16, 2026, setting the timing for its first-quarter 2026 financial results conference call, which can act as a near-term attention catalyst.

Earlier this month, the company announced an upsized $71 million order for 800G single-mode data center transceivers, bringing total 800G orders from that hyperscale customer to $124 million since mid-March, with deliveries expected to begin in Q2 2026.

In March, the company also announced its first volume order for 1.6T data center transceivers totaling more than $200 million, with shipments expected to begin in early Q3 2026 and complete in Q4 2026.

This could be further supported by unusually heavy trading/derivatives activity as traders position around upcoming earnings and the AI-infrastructure buildout narrative (speculation).

Sources:

Applied Optoelectronics Investor Relations, Yahoo Finance, TipRanks

Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

$AAOI Insider Trading Activity

$AAOI insiders have traded $AAOI stock on the open market 25 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 25 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $AAOI stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

ELIZABETH G LOBOA has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 106,468 shares for an estimated $9,925,189.
DAVID C KUO (*** See Remarks) has made 0 purchases and 5 sales selling 73,500 shares for an estimated $4,949,140.
SHU-HUA (JOSHUA) YEH (*** See Remarks) sold 50,000 shares for an estimated $4,854,880
HUNG-LUN (FRED) CHANG (*** See Remarks) sold 36,400 shares for an estimated $3,648,918
STEFAN J. MURRY (Chief Financial Officer) has made 0 purchases and 11 sales selling 40,000 shares for an estimated $2,458,125.
CYNTHIA DELANEY sold 21,000 shares for an estimated $2,058,344
WILLIAM H YEH sold 15,000 shares for an estimated $1,586,338
MIN-CHU (MIKE) CHEN has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 11,335 shares for an estimated $1,203,016.
RICHARD B BLACK sold 3,231 shares for an estimated $306,945

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.

$AAOI Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 166 institutional investors add shares of $AAOI stock to their portfolio, and 74 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

INVESCO LTD. added 3,446,150 shares (+5208.9%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $120,132,789
PRICE T ROWE ASSOCIATES INC /MD/ added 2,188,630 shares (+5321.6%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $76,295,641
JANE STREET GROUP, LLC added 1,644,757 shares (+4312.8%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $57,336,229
D. E. SHAW & CO., INC. added 1,366,856 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $47,648,600
CITIGROUP INC removed 1,145,566 shares (-98.7%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $39,934,430
CLOUDALPHA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED/HONG KONG removed 1,078,750 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $37,605,225
MORGAN STANLEY added 1,038,775 shares (+157.1%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $36,211,696

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.

$AAOI Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $AAOI in the last several months. We have seen 3 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 1 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

Rosenblatt issued a "Buy" rating on 12/19/2025
Needham issued a "Buy" rating on 12/11/2025
Northland Capital Markets issued a "Outperform" rating on 11/17/2025
B. Riley Securities issued a "Sell" rating on 11/10/2025

To track analyst ratings and price targets for $AAOI, check out Quiver Quantitative's $AAOI forecast page.

$AAOI Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $AAOI recently. We have seen 4 analysts offer price targets for $AAOI in the last 6 months, with a median target of $67.0.

Here are some recent targets:

Mike Genovese from Rosenblatt set a target price of $140.0 on 03/09/2026
Ryan Koontz from Needham set a target price of $80.0 on 02/27/2026
David Kang from B. Riley Securities set a target price of $54.0 on 02/27/2026
Tim Savageaux from Northland Capital Markets set a target price of $35.0 on 11/17/2025

This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.