Applied Opt (AAOI) — Quality & forensics

As of 2026-09-17 — refreshed nightly. Closelook readings from an investment research diary, not ratings or advice.

The Closelook module scores

32 /100 composite · 7 modules · semis-cyclical weight set

Valuation 23
Quality 9
Growth 68
Balance sheet 54
Cash quality 10
Capital allocation 15
Momentum 32

Scores are computed nightly across the coverage universe and read relative to it — the methodology lives in the company-scoring explainer.

Financial forensics — the academic screens

12.43 Altman Z-Score

Sits in the safe zone (above 2.99). The Z-Score estimates financial-distress risk from five balance-sheet and earnings ratios.

4/9 Piotroski F-Score

Nine binary fundamental-strength checks across profitability, leverage and operating efficiency.

-0.97 Beneish M-Score

Screens reported earnings for statistical manipulation patterns — above the −1.78 threshold the literature flags for earnings-manipulation risk. A screen, not an accusation.

Continue: the AAOI chart & overview · the earnings record · AAOI on the tape

FAQ · from the current data · as of 2026-09-17

Quick answers

What is Applied Opt's Closelook quality reading?

The composite reads 32/100 across 7 modules, as of 2026-09-17: valuation 23, quality 9, growth 68, balance sheet 54, cash quality 10, capital allocation 15, momentum 32. Closelook scores are research diary readings, not ratings or investment advice.

What is Applied Opt's Altman Z-Score?

12.43, which sits in the safe zone (above 2.99) as of 2026-09-17. The Altman Z-Score estimates financial distress risk from five balance-sheet and earnings ratios.

What is Applied Opt's Piotroski F-Score?

4 of 9, as of 2026-09-17. The F-Score counts nine binary fundamental-strength signals across profitability, leverage and operating efficiency.

What does Applied Opt's Beneish M-Score indicate?

-0.97 — above the −1.78 threshold the literature flags for earnings-manipulation risk, as of 2026-09-17. The M-Score screens reported earnings for statistical manipulation patterns; it is a screen, not an accusation.

Mentioned on Closelook

Where AAOI appears in the diary — 9 pieces, newest first. Every link is our own writing.

Long reads

Optical Interconnects — The Toll Nobody KeepsReport · 13 Aug 2026The floors on the tape (12 Aug closes): LITE 932.47, 14% off high · COHR 355.64, 19% off · MRVL 217.08, 34% off · AAOI 138.08, 41% off · FN 571.88, 24% off, prints Monday · AVGO $2.0T market cap…

Dailies

Oil knocks on $100 and Wall Street sells everything but the AI pipe: Intel +9%, Lumentum +11%, Dow −1.2% — Seoul buys the dip and the Kospi is back above 7,000Morning 10 · 9 Sept 2026
Semis break the 505 line at midday while bitcoin presses 80,000Midday 10 · 24 Aug 2026AAOI drops 12.45 percent to 109.28 by midday, the sharpest single-name decline on today's tape.
The macro week breaks at the last print — retail and Michigan miss, bonds slip the floor, and Lumentum runs from the middleMidday 10 · 14 Aug 2026AAOI +14.6% to 149.09 and RDDT +14.1% to 180.40, both reclaiming their 50-day averages intraday — two clean average-reclaims in one session on the risk side of the book, the same session the macro prints missed.
Everyone is watching the software wreck. The line that matters is breaking in bonds.Midday 10 · 6 Aug 2026And the group being bought is, name for name, Rubin's S14 High-Speed Interconnects layer — Astera, Lumentum, Coherent, Fabrinet, Marvell, AAOI are all constituents; AAOI, yesterday's worst-record most-bought foil, trades +1.6% post-print…
Software Earnings — Beat, Raise, Down 18%: The Punishment Phase Is BackDaily Pulse · 6 Aug 2026AAOI: five-for-ten and three-for-ten, the worst record on the board, the most bought into the print.
The index went nowhere and the market changed horses underneath itMidday 10 · 5 Aug 2026AAOI trades near 132.3, up 0.51%, after adding 16.85% Monday and 19.44% Tuesday.
Temperature 62 — semis re-lead, Interconnects +18% weekDaily Pulse · 15 May 2026Names: AAOI, Furukawa (5801.T), Lumentum, Coherent, MACOM, Fabrinet, Marvell, Amphenol, Astera Labs, Credo.
The AI Trade Has a Visibility ProblemDaily Pulse · 25 Mar 2026Sector spotlight — S14, High-Speed Interconnects (10 stocks, +36.83% YTD): optical/photonics names leading — AAOI +227%, Furukawa Electric +193%, Lumentum +116%.