Ciena (NYSE:CIEN) Director Patrick Gallagher Sells 11,618 Shares of Stock

Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) Director Patrick Gallagher sold 11,618 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.45, for a total transaction of $2,642,514.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 50,184 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,414,350.80. The trade was a 18.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Ciena Trading Up 5.1%

Shares of CIEN stock opened at $246.28 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 289.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.13. Ciena Corporation has a 12-month low of $49.21 and a 12-month high of $261.13. The company has a quick ratio of 2.09, a current ratio of 2.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $215.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $153.46.

Ciena (NYSE:CIEN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.29 billion. Ciena had a net margin of 2.59% and a return on equity of 8.38%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 20.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.54 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Ciena Corporation will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CIEN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BNP Paribas set a $185.00 price objective on Ciena and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on Ciena to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Northland Capmk lowered shares of Ciena from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Ciena in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, B. Riley reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ciena in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $237.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Ciena during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in Ciena in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Ciena by 50.4% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 200 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Ciena by 104.0% in the third quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 204 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in Ciena during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. 91.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ciena News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ciena this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/sector thesis — A Seeking Alpha deep dive expects Ciena’s “Optical AI” program to drive meaningful wins in 2026, with management modeling FY26 revenue growth of ~23.7% to $5.9B, a ~ $5B backlog, and expanding gross and operating margins — bullish for revenue and margin outlooks. Expect Ciena’s Optical AI Program Wins To Surge In 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Market narrative — Another Seeking Alpha piece frames the AI/datacenter connectivity boom as “in full swing,” reinforcing demand tailwinds for Ciena’s optical networking products. Ciena: Connectivity AI/Datacenter Boom In Full Swing
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst recognition — Zacks added CIEN to its Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth list, which can attract momentum flows and boosts investor confidence. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for Jan. 13
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings momentum — Media coverage notes Ciena’s strong Q4 results (beat on EPS and revenue) and the company’s central role supplying hardware for AI systems, a key reason investors have pushed the stock higher. Why Ciena Stock Rocked the Market in December
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor presentation — Ciena presented at the Needham Growth Conference; transcripts can provide incremental color on wins and guidance but contain no new headline items yet. Ciena Presents at 28th Annual Needham Growth Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/competitive data — A broader competitive analysis report was published (background benchmarking); useful for longer‑term positioning but not an immediate catalyst. Ciena Corp Competitive Analysis Report 2025
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — SVP Joseph Cumello sold 11,929 shares at an average $229.82 (≈$2.74M), reducing his stake by ~19.4%; insider sales can be perceived negatively by investors. Insider Sale Filing (Cumello)
• Negative Sentiment: Director sale — Director Patrick Gallagher sold 11,618 shares at ~$227.45 (~$2.64M), an ~18.8% reduction in his position, which may temper sentiment despite positive fundamentals. Insider Sale Filing (Gallagher)
• Negative Sentiment: Critical review — A third‑party critique highlights risks/valuation concerns that some investors may weigh against the upbeat demand narrative. Critical Review: Ciena & Altice USA

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.