AAOI
Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.
AAOI offers stronger modeled upside, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
CLFD
Clearfield, Inc.
CLFD has a slight edge over AAOI overall, supported by lower modeled downside.
AAOI Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Under pressure | |
| Weak | |
| Unavailable |
AAOI's revenue is currently strong, but its profitability and cash flow are under pressure. There isn't enough data to rate its balance sheet.
CLFD Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Under pressure | |
| Under pressure | |
| Stable | |
| Healthy |
CLFD's balance sheet is currently healthy, and its cash flow is stable, but its revenue and profitability are under pressure.
AAOI PE Valuation
AAOI has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year. If it returns to profit as analysts expect, today's price would be 18x next year's earnings.
CLFD PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 13x | N/A | N/A |
| Fair | 37x | N/A | N/A |
| Expensive | 46x | N/A | N/A |
| Forward | 64x | $31.27 | — |
| Current | 223x | $31.27 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
CLFD's PE is 223x, but its earnings don't support one, so it isn't a reliable read right now.
AAOI Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Returning to profit | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect AAOI to return to profit, with revenue growing. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
CLFD Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for CLFD, with profitability improving.
AAOI Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $2.98 | — |
| Q3 2026 | -$0.42 | +$3.02 |
| Q2 2026 | -$0.77 | +$2.81 |
| Q1 2026 | -$0.65 | +$3.43 |
| Q4 2025 | -$0.64 | +$3.86 |
| Q3 2025 | -$3.44 | -$1.41 |
| Q2 2025 | -$3.58 | -$1.70 |
| Q1 2025 | -$4.08 | -$2.29 |
| Q4 2024 | -$4.50 | -$2.75 |
AAOI is still losing money, but far less than before: $0.42 per share over the past year, against $4.50 at its worst in late 2024.
CLFD Earnings Per Share
CLFD and AAOI do not have enough comparable growth data to identify a winner.
AAOI Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $269.9M | +127% |
| Q2 2026 | $191.9M | +86% |
| Q1 2026 | $151.1M | +51% |
| Q4 2025 | $134.3M | +34% |
| Q3 2025 | $118.6M | +82% |
| Q2 2025 | $103M | +138% |
| Q1 2025 | $99.9M | +146% |
| Q4 2024 | $100.3M | +66% |
AAOI has the edge over CLFD on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.5% | +15 points |
| Q2 2026 | -13% | +2.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | -8.6% | +0.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | -8.6% | -2.1 points |
| Q3 2025 | -15% | +10 points |
| Q2 2025 | -16% | +45 points |
| Q1 2025 | -8.9% | +44 points |
| Q4 2024 | -6.5% | +1 points |
AAOI's operating margin was −0.5% last quarter, up 15 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the top of its range since 2019.
CLFD Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $43.9M | -12% |
| Q1 2026 | $34.4M | -27% |
| Q4 2025 | $34.3M | -3.2% |
| Q3 2025 | $17.6M | -62% |
| Q2 2025 | $49.9M | +2.3% |
| Q1 2025 | $47.2M | +28% |
| Q4 2024 | $35.5M | +3.6% |
| Q3 2024 | $46.8M | -5.9% |
CLFD's revenue has slid since its 2022 peak: $44M last quarter, down 12% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 5.9% | +2.9 points |
| Q1 2026 | -6% | -6.6 points |
| Q4 2025 | -5.3% | +5.9 points |
| Q3 2025 | 25% | +31 points |
| Q2 2025 | 3% | +7.7 points |
| Q1 2025 | 0.6% | +27 points |
| Q4 2024 | -11% | +13 points |
| Q3 2024 | -6.4% | -9.9 points |
CLFD has the edge over AAOI on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
AAOI Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$369.9M | -$291.2M |
| Q2 2026 | -$265.3M | -$174.4M |
| Q1 2026 | -$143.6M | -$64.3M |
| Q4 2025 | -$104.6M | -$51.6M |
| Q3 2025 | -$78.7M | -$58M |
| Q2 2025 | -$91M | -$86M |
| Q1 2025 | -$79.3M | -$45.1M |
| Q4 2024 | -$53M | -$48.4M |
AAOI has burned cash in almost every quarter: −$883M over the past year, against −$302M the year before.
CLFD Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $8.9M | +19% |
| Q1 2026 | -$2.1M | -420% |
| Q4 2025 | -$2.4M | -148% |
| Q3 2025 | $8.9M | -9% |
| Q2 2025 | $7.5M | +184% |
| Q1 2025 | $654K | +$5.9M |
| Q4 2024 | $5.1M | -7.2% |
| Q3 2024 | $9.8M | +82% |
CLFD has the edge over AAOI on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
AAOI Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +7.7% | +6.3M shares |
| 1 year | +39% | +24.5M shares |
| 3 years | +168% | +55.1M shares |
| 5 years | +224% | +60.7M shares |
| Available history | +340% | +67.9M shares |
AAOI has 88M diluted shares, up 39% from a year ago.
CLFD Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.6% | -78.4K shares |
| 1 year | -1.7% | -242K shares |
| 3 years | -11% | -1.7M shares |
| 5 years | -1.6% | -220K shares |
| Available history | +1% | +141K shares |
CLFD has the edge over AAOI on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $897,000 |
| Q1 2026 | $7.3M |
| Q4 2025 | $5.3M |
| Q3 2025 | $12,000 |
| Q2 2025 | $5.7M |
| Q1 2025 | $4.7M |
| Q4 2024 | $6.3M |
| Q3 2024 | — |
CLFD spent $14M buying back its own shares over the past year, down 19% from the year before.
AAOI Net Leverage
AAOI's operating earnings (EBITDA) were negative over the past year, so its debt can't be measured against them.
CLFD Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | -2.5x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.3x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -2.7x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -13.5x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2023 | -1.8x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2023 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2023 | -0.5x | Net Cash |
CLFD has more cash than debt.
AAOI Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 35.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 4.8 | Oversold |
AAOI's weekly RSI is 35 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 5 (oversold).
CLFD Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 49.5 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 55.1 | Neutral |
CLFD's weekly RSI is 50 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 55 (neutral).
AAOI PE vs Technology Sector
AAOI has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
CLFD PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | CLFD | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 223x | 28x | 702% above |
| PE % | 94 | 35 | 59 pts above |
CLFD is trading at 223x earnings, a 702% premium to the Technology sector's median of 28x, though its earnings don't support one.
AAOI Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $80.2 | 34% below |
| 20 week MA | $100.6 | 47% below |
| 50 week MA | $100.3 | 47% below |
| 100 week MA | $62.3 | 15% below |
| 200 week MA | $36.9 | 43% above |
AAOI has fallen below most of its moving averages, though it's still 43% above its 200-week average.
CLFD Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $31.0 | 1% above |
| 20 week MA | $30.5 | 2.6% above |
| 50 week MA | $31.9 | 2% below |
| 100 week MA | $33.1 | 5.6% below |
| 200 week MA | $35.4 | 12% below |
CLFD has the edge over AAOI on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
AAOI Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $11.5 | $8.77 | -24% |
| 2021 | $8.77 | $5.64 | -36% |
| 2022 | $5.64 | $1.95 | -65% |
| 2023 | $1.95 | $19.3 | +891% |
| 2024 | $19.3 | $37.7 | +95% |
| 2025 | $37.7 | $37.2 | -1.5% |
| 2026 YTD | $37.2 | $52.9 | +42% |
AAOI has the edge over CLFD on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
CLFD Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $13.9 | $24.8 | +78% |
| 2021 | $24.8 | $78.5 | +217% |
| 2022 | $78.5 | $95.5 | +22% |
| 2023 | $95.5 | $29.1 | -70% |
| 2024 | $29.1 | $31.1 | +7% |
| 2025 | $31.1 | $30.2 | -3.1% |
| 2026 YTD | $30.2 | $31.3 | +3.6% |
CLFD's yearly returns have swung widely, from +217% in 2021 to −70% in 2023. It's up 3.6% so far in 2026.