Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ: AAOI) surges to $151M Q1 revenue on AI demand
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Applied Optoelectronics reported strong Q1 2026 growth but remained unprofitable. Revenue reached $151.1 million, up from $99.9 million a year earlier, driven by demand in both datacenter and CATV segments. Datacenter revenue rose to $81.4 million and CATV revenue to $66.8 million.
The company posted a GAAP net loss of $14.3 million, or $0.19 per share, and a non-GAAP net loss of $4.9 million. Adjusted EBITDA improved to $1.0 million. Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash increased to $449.4 million. For Q2 2026, AOI expects revenue of $180–$198 million and non-GAAP gross margin of 29%–30%, with non-GAAP net results ranging from a $2.5 million loss to $2.8 million profit.
Positive
- Record top-line growth with strong AI optics demand: Q1 2026 revenue rose to $151.1 million from $99.9 million, with datacenter revenue reaching $81.4 million and CATV $66.8 million, supported by initial volume shipments of 800G transceivers and ongoing customer engagement in AI-driven datacenter deployments.
Negative
- None.
Insights
Q1 2026 shows rapid growth and improving cash, but profits still lag.
Applied Optoelectronics delivered Q1 2026 revenue of $151.144M, up sharply from $99.859M. Growth was broad-based: datacenter revenue rose to $81.404M and CATV to $66.841M, reflecting strong demand for 800G and AI-focused optics.
Despite scale, the company reported a GAAP net loss of $14.281M and a non-GAAP net loss of $4.941M. However, $449.377M in cash and positive Adjusted EBITDA of $0.966M provide financial flexibility as AOI ramps capacity in the U.S. and Taiwan.
Guidance for Q2 2026 targets revenue of $180M–$198M with non-GAAP gross margin of 29%–30% and non-GAAP net results between a $2.5M loss and $2.8M profit. Execution on expanding 800G capacity and maintaining margins will be key for future profitability, based on disclosures for Q2 2026.
8-K Event Classification
Key Figures
Key Terms
Adjusted EBITDA financial
non-GAAP gross margin financial
Convertible Senior Notes financial
Hybrid Fiber-Coax (HFC) technical
forward-looking statements regulatory
Earnings Snapshot
For Q2 2026, the company expects revenue of $180M–$198M, non-GAAP gross margin of 29%–30%, and non-GAAP net income between a $2.5M loss and $2.8M income, with non-GAAP EPS between a $0.03 loss and $0.03 gain using approximately 80.7M shares.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
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| ITEM 2.02. | RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION. |
On May 07, 2026 Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release regarding the Company’s financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026. A copy of the Company’s press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Form 8-K.
The information furnished in this Current Report under this Item 2.02 and the exhibits attached hereto shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.
| ITEM 9.01. | FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS. |
(d) Exhibits
| Exhibit Number | Description |
| 99.1 | Press release dated May 07 2026, issued by Applied Optoelectronics, Inc., filed herewith. |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive File (the cover page tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document). |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, INC. |
|||
| By: | /s/ Stefan J. Murry | ||
| Stefan J. Murry | |||
| Chief Financial Officer | |||
Date: May 7, 2026
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Exhibit 99.1
Applied Optoelectronics Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
Sugar Land, Texas, May 7, 2026 – Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAOI) (“AOI”), a leading provider of advanced optical and HFC networking products that power AI, today announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2026.
“We are pleased to deliver first quarter results that were in line with our expectations, driven by broad based demand in both our datacenter and CATV businesses,” said Dr. Thompson Lin, AOI’s Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We continue to see strong customer engagement around our 800G transceivers and 1.6 Tb products, particularly as AI-driven datacenter investments accelerate. Notably, we completed our first volume shipment of our 800G products to one of our large hyperscale customers in Q1. Looking ahead, we continue to anticipate a strong volume ramp of our 800G products starting in Q2 and we anticipate sequential revenue growth throughout this year, with significantly larger growth expected starting in Q3 as additional capacity comes online. The fundamental drivers of long-term demand for our business remain robust and we believe we are well positioned to become the premier high-volume U.S. producer of AI-focused data center transceivers and optics.”
“We generated our fourth consecutive quarter of record revenue in Q1,” said Dr. Stefan Murry, AOI’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer. “We continued to make progress on increasing our production capacity in both our U.S. and Taiwan locations, exiting Q1 with total manufacturing capacity of nearly 100,000 units of 800G transceivers per month. Further, we have recently nearly doubled our Houston-area footprint through a combination of real estate acquisitions and leases to increase our capacity and support our future growth. Our focus remains on ramping our capacity thoughtfully to meet the unprecedented demand and are confident in our ability to execute on our ambitious growth plans, while ensuring reliability, quality, and a dedication to excellence.”
First Quarter 2026 Financial Summary
| · | GAAP revenue was $151.1 million, compared with $99.9 million in the first quarter of 2025 and $134.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. |
| · | GAAP gross margin was 29.1%, compared with 30.6% in the first quarter of 2025 and 31.2% in the fourth quarter of 2025. Non-GAAP gross margin was 29.2%, compared with 30.7% in the first quarter of 2025 and 31.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025. |
| · | GAAP net loss was $14.3 million, or $0.19 per basic share, compared with net loss of $9.2 million, or $0.18 per basic share in the first quarter of 2025, and a net loss of $2.0 million, or $0.03 per basic share in the fourth quarter of 2025. |
| · | Non-GAAP net loss was $4.9 million, or $0.07 per basic share, compared with non-GAAP net loss of $0.9 million, or $0.02 per basic share in the first quarter of 2025, and a non-GAAP net loss of $0.6 million, or $0.01 per basic share in the fourth quarter of 2025. |
A reconciliation between all GAAP and non-GAAP information referenced above is contained in the tables below. Please also refer to “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for a description of these non-GAAP financial measures.
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Second Quarter 2026 Business Outlook (+)
For second quarter of 2026, the company currently expects:
| · | Revenue in the range of $180 million to $198 million. | |
| · | Non-GAAP gross margin in the range of 29% to 30%. | |
| · | Non-GAAP net income in the range of a loss of $2.5 million to income of $2.8 million, and non-GAAP income per share in the range of a loss of $0.03 to earnings of $0.03 using approximately 80.7 million shares. |
(+) Please refer to the note below on forward-looking statements and the risks involved with such statements as well as the note on non-GAAP financial measures.
Conference Call Information
The company will host a conference call and webcast for analysts and investors today, May 7, 2026 to discuss its first quarter 2026 financial results and outlook for its second quarter 2026 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time / 3:30 p.m. Central time. This call will be open to the public, and investors may access the call by dialing 844-890-1794 (domestic) or 412-717-9586 (international). A live audio webcast of the conference call along with supplemental financial information will also be accessible on the company's website at investors.ao-inc.com. Following the webcast, an archived version will be available on the website for one year. A telephonic replay of the call will be available one hour after the call and will run for five business days and may be accessed by dialing 855-669-9658 (domestic) or 412-317-0088 (international) and entering passcode 8426007.
Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "believe," "may," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "should," "could," "would," "target," "seek," "aim," "predicts," "think," "objectives," "optimistic," "new," "goal," “priorities,” "strategy," "potential," "is likely," "will," "expect," “momentum,” "plan" "project," "permit," “positions” or by other similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These statements include management’s beliefs and expectations related to our outlook for the second quarter of 2026. Such forward-looking statements reflect the views of management at the time such statements are made. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions and current expectations, which could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: reduction in the size or quantity of customer orders; change in demand for the company's products due to industry conditions; changes in manufacturing operations; volatility in manufacturing costs; delays in shipments of products; disruptions in the supply chain; change in the rate of design wins or the rate of customer acceptance of new products; the company's reliance on a small number of customers for a substantial portion of its revenues; potential pricing pressure; a decline in demand for our customers' products or their rate of deployment of their products; general conditions in the internet datacenter, cable television (CATV) broadband, telecom, or fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) markets; changes in the world economy (particularly in the United States and China); changes in the regulation and taxation of international trade, including the imposition of tariffs; changes in currency exchange rates; the negative effects of seasonality; and other risks and uncertainties described more fully in the company's documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and our Quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026. More information about these and other risks that may impact the company's business are set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of the company's quarterly and annual reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to us as of the date hereof, and qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this press release to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in the company's expectations.
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Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We provide non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP net income (loss), and non-GAAP earnings per share to eliminate the impact of items that we do not consider indicative of our overall operating performance. To arrive at our non-GAAP gross margin, we exclude stock-based compensation and related expenses, expenses associated with discontinued products, and non-recurring (income) expenses, if any, from our GAAP gross margin. To arrive at our non-GAAP net income (loss), we exclude all amortization of intangible assets, stock-based compensation expense, non-recurring expenses, unrealized foreign exchange loss (gain), losses from the disposal of idle assets, if any, non-GAAP tax benefit (expenses), and losses from the disposal of idle assets, if any, from our GAAP net income (loss). Included in our non-recurring expenses in Q1 2026 and Q1 2025 are employee severance expenses (if any) and legal expenses associated with litigation and certain legal and advisory expenses associated with purchase termination or patent protection. In computing our non-GAAP income tax benefit (expense), we have applied an estimate of our annual effective income tax rate and applied it to our net income before income taxes. Our adjusted EBITDA is calculated by excluding depreciation expense, non-GAAP tax benefit (expense), and interest (income) expense, as well as the items excluded from non-GAAP net income (loss), from our GAAP net loss. Our non-GAAP diluted net loss per share is calculated by dividing our non-GAAP net loss by the fully diluted share count (for periods in which non-GAAP net income is positive) or basic share count (for periods in which our non-GAAP net income is negative).
We believe that our non-GAAP measures are useful to investors in evaluating our operating performance for the following reasons:
| · | We believe that elimination of items such as amortization of intangible assets, stock-based compensation expense, non-recurring revenue and expenses, losses from the disposal of idle assets, unrealized foreign exchange gain or loss, and depreciation on certain equipment undergoing reconfiguration is appropriate because treatment of these items may vary for reasons unrelated to our overall operating performance; | |
| · | We believe that elimination of expenses associated with discontinued products, including depreciation and inventory obsolescence is appropriate because these expenses are not indicative of our ongoing operations; | |
| · | We believe that estimating non-GAAP income taxes allows comparison with prior periods and provides additional information regarding the generation of potential future deferred tax assets; | |
| · | We believe that non-GAAP measures provide better comparability with our past financial performance, period-to-period results and with our peer companies, many of which also use similar non-GAAP financial measures; and | |
| · | We anticipate that investors and securities analysts will utilize non-GAAP measures as a supplement to GAAP measures to evaluate our overall operating performance. |
A reconciliation of our GAAP net income (loss), GAAP total gross profit, GAAP earnings (loss), and GAAP earnings (loss) per share for Q1 2026 to our non-GAAP net income (loss), non-GAAP total gross profit, Adjusted EBITDA, and earnings (loss) per share, respectively, is provided below, together with corresponding reconciliations for Q1 2025.
Non-GAAP measures should not be considered as an alternative to gross profit, net income (loss), earnings (loss) per share, or any other measure of financial performance calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Our non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other organizations because other organizations may not calculate such other non-GAAP measures in the same manner. We have not reconciled the non-GAAP measures included in our guidance to the appropriate GAAP financial measures because the GAAP measures are not readily determinable on a forward-looking basis. GAAP measures that impact our non-GAAP financial measures may include stock-based compensation expense, non-recurring expenses, amortization of intangible assets, unrealized exchange loss (gain), asset impairment charges, loss (gain) from disposal of idle assets, and changes in the fair value of our convertible notes. These GAAP measures cannot be reasonably predicted and may directly impact our non-GAAP gross margin, our non-GAAP net income and our non-GAAP fully-diluted earnings per share, although changes with respect to certain of these measures may offset other changes. In addition, certain of these measures are out of our control. Accordingly, a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure guidance to the corresponding GAAP measures is not available without unreasonable effort.
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About Applied Optoelectronics
Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AOI) is a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced optical and Hybrid Fiber-Coax (HFC) networking products that are the building blocks for AI datacenters, CATV and broadband fiber access networks around the world. AOI supplies this critical infrastructure to tier-one customers across cloud computing, CATV broadband, telecom, and FTTH markets. The company has R&D facilities in Atlanta, GA, and engineering and manufacturing facilities at its corporate headquarters in Sugar Land, TX, as well as in Taipei, Taiwan and Ningbo, China. For additional information, visit www.ao-inc.com. # # #
Investor Relations Contacts:
The Blueshirt Group, Investor Relations
Lindsay Savarese
+1-212-331-8417
ir@ao-inc.com
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Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.
Preliminary Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
| March 31, 2026 | December 31, 2025 | |||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| CURRENT ASSETS | ||||||||
| Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash | $ | 449,377 | $ | 216,035 | ||||
| Accounts Receivable, Net | 298,996 | 244,404 | ||||||
| Inventories | 206,246 | 183,105 | ||||||
| Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets | 37,958 | 32,183 | ||||||
| Total Current Assets | 992,577 | 675,727 | ||||||
| Property, Plant And Equipment, Net | 419,003 | 376,050 | ||||||
| Land Use Rights, Net | 4,871 | 4,825 | ||||||
| Operating Right of Use Asset | 71,949 | 49,697 | ||||||
| Intangible Assets, Net | 3,614 | 3,623 | ||||||
| Other Assets | 73,865 | 58,501 | ||||||
| TOTAL ASSETS | $ | 1,565,879 | $ | 1,168,423 | ||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | ||||||||
| CURRENT LIABILITIES | ||||||||
| Accounts Payable | $ | 148,160 | $ | 143,932 | ||||
| Bank Acceptance Payable | 35,766 | 33,363 | ||||||
| Accrued Liabilities | 31,345 | 42,491 | ||||||
| Current Lease Liability-Operating | 2,932 | 3,522 | ||||||
| Current Portion of Notes Payable and Long Term Debt | 41,225 | 33,975 | ||||||
| Total Current Liabilities | 259,428 | 257,283 | ||||||
| Convertible Senior Notes | 129,516 | 129,829 | ||||||
| Other Long-Term Liabilities | 70,983 | 47,393 | ||||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES | 459,927 | 434,505 | ||||||
| STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | ||||||||
| Common Stock | 79 | 75 | ||||||
| Additional Paid-in Capital | 1,610,439 | 1,224,538 | ||||||
| Cumulative Translation Adjustment | (207 | ) | (617 | ) | ||||
| Accumulated Deficit | (504,359 | ) | (490,078 | ) | ||||
| TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | 1,105,952 | 733,918 | ||||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | $ | 1,565,879 | $ | 1,168,423 | ||||
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Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.
Preliminary Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
| Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | |||||||
| Revenue | ||||||||
| CATV | $ | 66,841 | $ | 64,501 | ||||
| Datacenter | 81,404 | 32,049 | ||||||
| Telecom | 2,559 | 2,937 | ||||||
| Other | 340 | 372 | ||||||
| Total Revenue | 151,144 | 99,859 | ||||||
| Total Cost of Goods Sold | 107,228 | 69,315 | ||||||
| Total Gross Profit | 43,916 | 30,544 | ||||||
| Operating Expenses: | ||||||||
| Research and Development | 25,656 | 17,810 | ||||||
| Sales and Marketing | 6,347 | 5,357 | ||||||
| General and Administrative | 24,904 | 16,314 | ||||||
| Total Operating Expenses | 56,907 | 39,481 | ||||||
| Operating Loss | (12,991 | ) | (8,937 | ) | ||||
| Other Income (Expense): | ||||||||
| Interest Income | 1,737 | 224 | ||||||
| Interest Expense | (863 | ) | (934 | ) | ||||
| Other Income (Expense), net | (1,115 | ) | 475 | |||||
| Total Other Income (Expense): | (241 | ) | (235 | ) | ||||
| Net loss before Income Taxes | (13,232 | ) | (9,172 | ) | ||||
| Income Tax Expense | (1,049 | ) | – | |||||
| Net loss | $ | (14,281 | ) | $ | (9,172 | ) | ||
| Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders | ||||||||
| basic | $ | (0.19 | ) | $ | (0.18 | ) | ||
| diluted | $ | (0.19 | ) | $ | (0.18 | ) | ||
| Weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share attributable to common stockholders | ||||||||
| basic | 75,980 | 50,041 | ||||||
| diluted | 75,980 | 50,041 | ||||||
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Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.
Reconciliation of Statements of Operations under GAAP and Non-GAAP
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
| Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | |||||||
| GAAP total gross profit (a) | $ | 43,916 | $ | 30,544 | ||||
| Share-based compensation expense | 156 | 83 | ||||||
| Non-recurring expense | 16 | – | ||||||
| Non-GAAP total gross profit (a) | $ | 44,088 | $ | 30,627 | ||||
| GAAP net loss | $ | (14,281 | ) | $ | (9,172 | ) | ||
| Share-based compensation expense | 4,391 | 2,562 | ||||||
| Non-cash expenses associated with discontinued products | 916 | 1,045 | ||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 121 | 108 | ||||||
| Non-recurring (income) expense | 276 | 393 | ||||||
| Unrealized exchange loss (gain) | 1,177 | 217 | ||||||
| Tax (benefit) expense related to the above | 2,459 | 3,988 | ||||||
| Non-GAAP net loss | $ | (4,941 | ) | $ | (859 | ) | ||
| GAAP net loss | $ | (14,281 | ) | $ | (9,172 | ) | ||
| Share-based compensation expense | 4,391 | 2,562 | ||||||
| Non-cash expenses associated with discontinued products | 916 | 1,045 | ||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 121 | 108 | ||||||
| Non-recurring expense (income) | 276 | 393 | ||||||
| Unrealized exchange loss (gain) | 1,177 | 217 | ||||||
| Depreciation expense | 8,191 | 4,573 | ||||||
| Interest (income) expense, net | (874 | ) | 709 | |||||
| Income tax expenses (credit) | 1,049 | 0 | ||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 966 | $ | 435 | ||||
| GAAP diluted net loss per share | $ | (0.19 | ) | $ | (0.18 | ) | ||
| Share-based compensation expense | 0.06 | 0.05 | ||||||
| Non-cash expenses associated with discontinued products | 0.01 | 0.02 | ||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | – | – | ||||||
| Non-recurring (income) expense | – | 0.01 | ||||||
| Unrealized exchange loss (gain) | 0.02 | – | ||||||
| Non-GAAP tax benefit | 0.03 | 0.08 | ||||||
| Non-GAAP diluted net loss per share | $ | (0.07 | ) | $ | (0.02 | ) | ||
| Shares used to compute diluted loss per share | 75,980 | 50,041 | ||||||
| Shares used to compute diluted earnings per share | 75,980 | 50,041 | ||||||
(a) Provided for the purpose of calculating gross profit as a percentage of revenue (gross margin).
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