Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $237.50.

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Ciena from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. BNP Paribas set a $185.00 price target on shares of Ciena and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. B. Riley restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ciena in a report on Friday, December 12th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ciena from $120.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Northland Capmk lowered shares of Ciena from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ciena

In other news, SVP Jason Phipps sold 1,984 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.42, for a total transaction of $284,545.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 80,244 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,508,594.48. The trade was a 2.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Brodie Gage sold 550 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.84, for a total value of $121,462.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 39,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,831,833.28. This trade represents a 1.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 55,873 shares of company stock valued at $10,062,655 over the last quarter. 0.93% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CIEN. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Ciena by 9.5% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 48,976 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,960,000 after purchasing an additional 4,265 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Ciena by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 488,162 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $29,500,000 after buying an additional 5,682 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in Ciena by 153.2% during the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 49,184 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,941,000 after buying an additional 29,758 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Ciena by 224.2% during the 1st quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,304 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $925,000 after buying an additional 10,583 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in Ciena by 450.6% during the first quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 6,150 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $372,000 after acquiring an additional 5,033 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.99% of the company’s stock.

Ciena Stock Up 9.4%

NYSE:CIEN opened at $230.42 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $32.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 271.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a current ratio of 2.73. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $194.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $133.46. Ciena has a 52-week low of $49.21 and a 52-week high of $248.00.

Ciena (NYSE:CIEN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.15. Ciena had a return on equity of 8.38% and a net margin of 2.59%.The company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.29 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.54 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Ciena will post 1.6 EPS for the current year.

Key Stores Impacting Ciena

Here are the key news stories impacting Ciena this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI/data‑center demand — Technical writeups highlight that AI‑ready data centers are increasingly dependent on coherent optics for high‑bandwidth links, a direct end‑market tailwind for Ciena’s optical transport products. Why the expansion of AI-ready data center networks depends increasingly on coherent optics
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst momentum & earnings beat — Wall‑street research notes and coverage summaries point to upgraded price targets and “buy/overweight” calls after Ciena’s recent quarter (beat on revenue and EPS) and upbeat guidance; big firms (Barclays, JPMorgan, Needham, BofA among others) lifted targets, supporting the rally. Ciena Rebounds: AI and Strong Guidance Drive Post-Earnings Surge
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying — Filings show large new and expanded positions from hedge funds and institutions (Lone Pine, JPMorgan additions, Arrowstreet, etc.), signalling conviction from allocators and supporting upward price pressure. Ciena Rebounds: AI and Strong Guidance Drive Post-Earnings Surge
• Neutral Sentiment: Bullish commentaries — Several independent bull‑case pieces summarize reasons to own CIEN (market position in optical, recurring software/services revenue). Useful for background but are opinion‑driven. Ciena Corporation (CIEN): A Bull Case Theory
• Neutral Sentiment: Options/promotional pieces — A Zacks options strategy article touts a possible 30% spread return tied to CIEN moves; this is a trade idea rather than company fundamentals and can amplify short‑term volume but doesn’t change fundamentals. Weekly Option Windfall: AI Communications Giant Flexes 30% Profit Potential
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sales — Multiple disclosures show senior insiders selling shares recently (Director Thomas Nevens sold ~8,554 shares; SVP Jason Phipps sold ~1,984 shares). While sales can be routine diversification, such filings can temper sentiment when they coincide with a rally. Ciena (NYSE:CIEN) Director Thomas Michael Nevens Sells 8,554 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Smaller insider sale (SVP) — Additional filing: SVP Jason Phipps sold 1,984 shares (disclosed), another datapoint investors watch for insider conviction. Insider Selling: Ciena (NYSE:CIEN) SVP Sells 1,984 Shares of Stock

Ciena Company Profile

Ciena Corporation (NYSE: CIEN) is a global supplier of telecommunications networking equipment, software and services. The company develops high-capacity optical transport systems and packet-optical platforms that enable service providers, cloud operators and large enterprises to build, manage and scale their networks. Ciena’s product portfolio includes coherent optical solutions, packet networking platforms and a suite of network automation software designed to optimize bandwidth, reduce latency and simplify network operations.

In addition to hardware offerings, Ciena provides professional services and support, including network design, implementation and ongoing maintenance.