Ciena Corporation $CIEN Shares Sold by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. decreased its holdings in shares of Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) by 42.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 713,696 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 522,000 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned about 0.51% of Ciena worth $103,964,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CIEN. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in Ciena during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ciena during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of Ciena by 3,663.6% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 414 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Ciena by 34.7% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 636 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ciena by 11.1% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 698 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 91.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on CIEN. Northland Capmk downgraded Ciena from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ciena in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $213.00 price target on shares of Ciena in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ciena from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 21st. Finally, Argus boosted their target price on shares of Ciena from $135.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $237.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ciena

In other Ciena news, Director Thomas Michael Nevens sold 8,554 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.66, for a total transaction of $1,921,741.64. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,422 shares in the company, valued at $2,116,746.52. This represents a 47.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Gary B. Smith sold 83,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $229.44, for a total value of $19,170,170.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 307,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $70,641,134.40. This represents a 21.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 127,117 shares of company stock valued at $28,068,125 over the last quarter. 0.93% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ciena Trading Up 10.1%

Shares of CIEN stock opened at $254.12 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 2.73 and a quick ratio of 2.09. The firm has a market cap of $35.79 billion, a PE ratio of 298.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a 50-day moving average of $210.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $147.85. Ciena Corporation has a 1-year low of $49.21 and a 1-year high of $254.82.

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

Key Stories Impacting Ciena

Here are the key news stories impacting Ciena this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI/cloud demand and backlog lift FY26 outlook — Zacks notes surging AI-driven cloud and service provider orders have boosted Ciena’s backlog and support a near‑24% revenue growth outlook for fiscal 2026, reinforcing the company’s beat-and-raise narrative. Can Surging AI Cloud Orders Power Ciena’s FY26 Revenue Expansion?
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum and analyst praise lift investor interest — Zacks and MSN published pieces labeling CIEN a top momentum stock for the long term and highlighting strong relative price strength and rising analyst estimates into 2026, which can attract momentum and growth‑oriented flows. Why Ciena (CIEN) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term Why Ciena (CIEN) is a top momentum stock for the long term
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst expectations of continued beats — CIEN appears on Zacks’ lists of top-ranked stocks likely to beat upcoming earnings, supporting bullish estimates and potential multiple expansion. Looking for Earnings Beat? Buy These 5 Top-Ranked Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation check after large multi‑month gains — Coverage notes strong multi‑month share price gains and raises questions about valuation after the rally; investors should weigh high multiples versus growth trajectory. Ciena (CIEN) Valuation Check After Strong Multi Month Share Price Gains
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by CEO — CEO Gary B. Smith sold 83,552 shares on Jan. 5 for roughly $19.17M, reducing his stake by ~21.3%; insider sales can be perceived negatively even if done for diversification or liquidity. SEC filing: Insider sale disclosure

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.