Investors Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Corning (NYSE:GLW)

Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders purchased 50,325 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 99% compared to the typical volume of 25,329 call options.

More Corning News

Here are the key news stories impacting Corning this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major AI/data‑center demand and a large Meta agreement underpin the re‑rating of Corning as an AI infrastructure supplier — the narrative shift from “glass maker” to critical optical‑fiber provider (densification of GPU clusters drives outsized fiber demand). What’s Behind Corning Stock’s 200% Rally?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price‑target increases are boosting buying momentum — Citigroup raised its target to $170 and several outlets reported upgrades that coincide with intraday strength. Corning (NYSE:GLW) Trading 4% Higher After Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call‑option volume (roughly double typical daily call activity) points to heightened bullish positioning from traders and possibly institutions, which can amplify short‑term upside. Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Corning (NYSE:GLW)
• Neutral Sentiment: Strong quarterly results, Springboard margin leverage and upgraded multi‑year sales targets underpin the longer‑term bull thesis, but these are execution‑dependent (management has raised targets and early results show margin expansion). From Glass Maker to AI Kingmaker: Corning’s Pivot
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and momentum risk: the stock now trades at a material premium to historical multiples (market is pricing flawless execution), raising the risk of sharp pullbacks if growth or Meta demand expectations slip. What’s Behind Corning Stock’s 200% Rally?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on GLW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Corning from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Corning from $103.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Corning from $125.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wolfe Research set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Corning and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Corning in a report on Friday, February 13th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.42.

Corning Price Performance

Corning stock opened at $160.09 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.35 billion, a PE ratio of 87.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.13. Corning has a 52 week low of $37.31 and a 52 week high of $162.10. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $105.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $89.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Corning (NYSE:GLW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The electronics maker reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.01. Corning had a return on equity of 18.72% and a net margin of 10.21%.The firm had revenue of $4.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.57 EPS. Corning’s revenue was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. Corning has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.660-0.700 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Corning will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Corning Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Corning’s payout ratio is currently 60.87%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Edward A. Schlesinger sold 21,104 shares of Corning stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.55, for a total transaction of $2,206,423.20. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 54,780 shares in the company, valued at $5,727,249. This trade represents a 27.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Avery H. Nelson III sold 6,262 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.79, for a total value of $812,744.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 61,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,965,342.09. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 95,687 shares of company stock valued at $11,249,008. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of GLW. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Corning by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 99,283,317 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $8,693,247,000 after buying an additional 580,678 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Corning by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,008,856 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $3,035,836,000 after acquiring an additional 439,883 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Corning by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,411,824 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $1,781,250,000 after acquiring an additional 517,067 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in shares of Corning by 52.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 16,890,802 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $1,478,959,000 after purchasing an additional 5,831,873 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Corning by 30.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 16,557,489 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $1,358,211,000 after purchasing an additional 3,848,540 shares in the last quarter. 69.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Corning

Corning Incorporated is a global manufacturer specializing in specialty glass, ceramics and related materials and technologies. Headquartered in Corning, New York, the company supplies engineered materials and components used across multiple industries, including consumer electronics, telecommunications, automotive emissions control, pharmaceutical and life sciences, and industrial and scientific applications. Corning emphasizes materials science and precision manufacturing to develop durable, high-performance glass and ceramic products.

Key product lines include specialty display glass used by television and mobile-device manufacturers, cover glass marketed under well-known trade names for smartphones and tablets, and optical fiber and cable and related hardware for telecommunications networks.