Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Has $4.24 Million Stock Position in Ciena Corporation $CIEN

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS trimmed its holdings in shares of Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) by 73.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,119 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 50,650 shares during the period. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS’s holdings in Ciena were worth $4,237,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Ciena in the third quarter worth $1,993,000. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Ciena by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 31,161 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $7,288,000 after purchasing an additional 3,156 shares during the period. Convergence Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Ciena in the third quarter worth $1,726,000. FengHe Fund Management Pte. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Ciena by 164.0% in the fourth quarter. FengHe Fund Management Pte. Ltd. now owns 660,988 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $154,585,000 after purchasing an additional 410,588 shares during the period. Finally, Peak Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Ciena by 222.7% in the fourth quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC now owns 11,596 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $2,712,000 after purchasing an additional 8,003 shares during the period. 91.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target on Ciena from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Ciena from $280.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Ciena from $280.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Ciena from $230.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, B. Riley Financial lifted their target price on Ciena from $222.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ciena presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $358.94.

Ciena Stock Performance

NYSE:CIEN opened at $536.28 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $75.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 341.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $414.44 and its 200-day moving average is $290.32. Ciena Corporation has a 1-year low of $70.67 and a 1-year high of $550.00.

Ciena (NYSE:CIEN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The communications equipment provider reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.40 billion. Ciena had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 4.47%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ciena Corporation will post 5.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Ciena News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ciena this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/industry bullishness: Seeking Alpha highlights a surging backlog (now ~$7B) and accelerating backlog-to-cash conversion that supports revenue and cash-flow growth, arguing CIEN is well positioned for hyperscaler AI demand. Ciena Corp.: Buy As Backlog To Cash Is Rolling
• Positive Sentiment: Sector buy call: Zacks includes CIEN among communication-component stocks to tap the rally from 5G, fiber and AI tailwinds, reinforcing investor interest in the group. Buy 2 Communication Component Stocks to Tap Recent Rally
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage sentiment and momentum: Broker consensus is around “Moderate Buy” and the stock recently hit a record high on the NYSE Composite, signaling strong market momentum and institutional interest. Ciena Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” Ciena Hits Record High
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/company-news signal: Coverage of Lumentum’s upcoming Q3 frames broad industry demand for optics and AI-driven revenue growth — a positive sector signal for Ciena but not direct company news. Lumentum Q3 Earnings Loom
• Neutral Sentiment: ETF/flow context: Mentions of CIEN in mid-cap/smart-beta ETF coverage may support passive demand but are a secondary factor vs. direct earnings/backlog news. Is FNX a Strong ETF Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Celebrity pundit caution: Jim Cramer publicly said CIEN is “a little too hot” and that he’d “hold off,” which can sap conviction among retail traders and short-term momentum despite strong fundamentals. Jim Cramer on Ciena Jim Cramer on Ciena: “I’m Going to Have to Hold Off”

Insider Transactions at Ciena

In other news, SVP Jason Phipps sold 22,014 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.80, for a total transaction of $9,021,337.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 68 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,866.40. The trade was a 99.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Gary B. Smith sold 2,952 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $415.51, for a total value of $1,226,585.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 281,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $116,909,971.15. This trade represents a 1.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 42,974 shares of company stock worth $16,615,505. Insiders own 0.58% of the company’s 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.