AAOI
Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.
AAOI's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
FFIV
F5, Inc.
FFIV has the edge over AAOI overall, supported by lower modeled downside and stronger valuation.
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.
FFIV Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
FFIV's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
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.
FFIV PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 17x | $318 | — |
| Cheap | 23x | $286 | -9.9% |
| Current | 25x | $318 | — |
| Fair | 27x | $342 | +7.7% |
| Expensive | 37x | $467 | +47% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
FFIV's PE is in its cheap range at 25x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 17x next year's earnings.
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.
FFIV Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for FFIV, 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.
FFIV Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $18.21 | +45% |
| Q3 2026 | $12.53 | +6.2% |
FFIV has the edge over AAOI in the latest year-over-year earnings comparison.
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 FFIV on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| 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.
FFIV Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $917.4M | +13% |
| Q2 2026 | $865.1M | +11% |
| Q1 2026 | $811.7M | +11% |
| Q4 2025 | $822.5M | +7.3% |
FFIV's revenue has grown year over year every quarter since late 2025: $917M last quarter, up 13% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 25% | -0.5 points |
| Q1 2026 | 22% | +0.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 26% | -0.7 points |
| Q3 2025 | 25% | N/A |
| Q2 2025 | 25% | N/A |
| Q1 2025 | 22% | N/A |
| Q4 2024 | 27% | N/A |
FFIV 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.
FFIV Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $280.6M | +2.5% |
| Q1 2026 | $347.6M | +41% |
| Q4 2025 | $149.5M | -23% |
FFIV and AAOI do not have enough comparable growth data to identify a winner.
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.
FFIV Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.4% | +252K shares |
| 1 year | -1.6% | -942K shares |
FFIV has the edge over AAOI on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $100M |
| Q3 2025 | $125M |
| Q2 2025 | $125M |
AAOI Net Leverage
AAOI's operating earnings (EBITDA) were negative over the past year, so its debt can't be measured against them.
FFIV Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | -1.8x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.6x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -1.6x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -1.7x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -1.6x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -1.4x | Net Cash |
FFIV 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).
FFIV Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 38.2 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 3.4 | Oversold |
FFIV's weekly RSI is 38 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 3 (oversold).
AAOI PE vs Technology Sector
AAOI has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
FFIV PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | FFIV | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 25x | 28x | 9% below |
| PE % | 30 | 35 | 5 pts below |
FFIV is trading at 25x earnings, in line with the Technology sector's median of 28x.
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.
FFIV Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $405.2 | 22% below |
| 20 week MA | $405.0 | 22% below |
| 50 week MA | $345.9 | 8.2% below |
| 100 week MA | $315.3 | 0.7% above |
| 200 week MA | $244.7 | 30% above |
FFIV 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 FFIV on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
FFIV Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $139.2 | $175.6 | +26% |
| 2021 | $175.6 | $234.8 | +34% |
| 2022 | $234.8 | $141.0 | -40% |
| 2023 | $141.0 | $179.0 | +27% |
| 2024 | $179.0 | $255.6 | +43% |
| 2025 | $255.6 | $263.1 | +2.9% |
| 2026 YTD | $263.1 | $317.6 | +21% |
FFIV has finished higher in five of the last six years. It's up 21% so far in 2026.