AAOIApplied Optoelectronics, Inc.
Is the business good?
The checks split: nothing decisive, though margins widening.
Mixed fundamental signals. Nine pass/fail tests of year-over-year health from the filings.
Operating margin has widened over the past few years, the business is getting more profitable per dollar of sales.
Where this answer is blind. The F-score rewards improvement, so an already-elite company can score mid-pack.
How good a business is AAOI?
Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. earns −4.3% on the capital it employs against a 9.0% cost of capital, so growth costs more than it returns.
Return on invested capital · cost of capital 9.0% · 13 points below what the capital costs: growth destroys value
- Operating margin
- −11%
Operating margin · Communication Equipment median 5.0% · 12 months to Q2 2026
- Share count, year on year
- +44%
Share count, year on year · shareholders own a smaller slice than a year ago
- R&D as % of revenue
- 18%
R&D as % of revenue
| Year | Operating margin |
|---|---|
| FY2020 | −21% |
| FY2021 | −27% |
| FY2022 | −26% |
| FY2023 | −19% |
| FY2024 | −28% |
| FY2025 | −12% |
Details›
- Gross margin12 months to Q2 2026
- 29%
- Operating margin12 months to Q2 2026
- −11%
- Net margin12 months to Q2 2026
- −9.6%
- Free cash flow margin
- −148%
- R&D as % of revenue
- 18%
- Revenue, trailing twelve months
- $596M
- Free cash flow, trailing twelve months
- −$881M
- Net income, trailing twelve months
- −$57M
- Return on invested capitaloperating profit after tax ÷ debt + equity − cash
- −4.3%
Margins, capital and share counts from the statements as filed with the SEC; cash conversion is operating cash flow over operating profit after tax.
Communication Equipment
Ranks #20 of 20 by RyuScore