$AAOI completed a $500m ATM in April, followed by a $600m ATM in June. Then it filed another $600m ATM in August.
There is little I can do if management keeps abusing repeated ATM offerings. They could instead follow the path of $AXTI, using LTA prepayments to fund expansion.
Or pursue private placements like the $2B deal between $NVDA and Nebius to support capacity buildout.
Another option would be convertible notes issued at a 40% premium.
It will be really tough for the stock to break above $100, $150 or $200 when there is $600M of selling pressure at those levels, plus market expectations of more ATMs down the line.
I had the same criticism for $IREN over its $6B ATM program, which explains why its stock has traded sideways for half a year. I hold this standard even for stocks in my own thesis list.
Operationally, I’m very bullish on $AAOI for 2027. It is targeting $471m monthly transceiver revenue, plus 400k ELSFP units per month by early 2028.
The revenue ramp is massive and could push forward P/E down to single digits.
But it’s hard to get excited when the company keeps relying on unlimited ATM offerings during expansion. This creates high opportunity cost versus already profitable names such as $SNDK or Samsung.
I think many retail investors mix up operational performance with stock price action.
$AAOI is capitalizing on a supply bottleneck with strong demand visibility. Still, the stock has gone nowhere in the near term due to repeated ATM issuances.
I expect $AAOI to deliver strong outperformance, especially in 2027 — if they stop these dilutive ATM offerings.