Ciena (NYSE:CIEN) CFO Marc Graff Sells 4,995 Shares

Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIENGet Free Report) CFO Marc Graff sold 4,995 shares of Ciena stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $430.72, for a total transaction of $2,151,446.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 107,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,310,583.68. The trade was a 4.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ciena Trading Down 9.0%

Shares of Ciena stock opened at $405.03 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $57.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 135.01 and a beta of 1.30. Ciena Corporation has a 52-week low of $84.41 and a 52-week high of $637.51. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $423.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $429.41. The company has a quick ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 2.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

Ciena (NYSE:CIENGet Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 4th. The communications equipment provider reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.18. Ciena had a net margin of 7.87% and a return on equity of 18.15%. The firm had revenue of $1.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 39.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ciena Corporation will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ciena

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CIEN. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ciena by 53.8% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 445,359 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $104,156,000 after buying an additional 155,712 shares during the period. FengHe Fund Management Pte. Ltd. boosted its position in Ciena by 164.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 410,588 shares during the last quarter. TKG Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ciena in the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,244,000. Swiss National Bank grew its stake in Ciena by 7.0% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 413,332 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $160,468,000 after acquiring an additional 26,900 shares during the period. Finally, DNB Asset Management AS raised its holdings in Ciena by 1,095.8% in the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 27,527 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,438,000 after acquiring an additional 25,225 shares during the last quarter. 91.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on CIEN shares. Zacks Research cut Ciena from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Ciena from $345.00 to $658.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Ciena from $372.00 to $607.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Northland Securities set a $450.00 price target on shares of Ciena in a report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ciena in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $525.00.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Ciena

More Ciena News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ciena this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen maintained a Buy rating on Ciena, indicating continued confidence in the company’s outlook. Although the firm reduced its price target from $675 to $575, the new target still implied substantial upside based on the cited market price. Benzinga
  • Positive Sentiment: Ciena had recently participated in a broader rally in AI-networking stocks, reflecting investor enthusiasm for demand tied to artificial-intelligence infrastructure and high-speed interconnects. AI Networking Stocks Are Rallying on Monday
  • Neutral Sentiment: CEO Gary B. Smith sold 2,952 shares, while CFO Marc D. Graff sold 4,995 shares. Both transactions were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, reducing the likelihood that the sales represent a judgment about Ciena’s near-term prospects. The executives retained sizable holdings after the transactions. CEO SEC Filing CFO SEC Filing
  • Negative Sentiment: Investor concern spread across AI-infrastructure companies, with Ciena, Coherent and Teradyne among the session’s largest decliners. The selling appeared driven less by a new Ciena earnings miss and more by mounting anxiety about the sustainability, transparency and underlying risks of major technology companies’ AI spending. Coherent, Teradyne, and Ciena Are the S&P 500’s 3 Biggest Decliners
  • Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen’s price-target reduction from $675 to $575 signals a more cautious valuation outlook, even though the firm retained its Buy rating. Given Ciena’s elevated valuation and strong prior rally, target cuts and broader AI-trade volatility may be prompting investors to lock in gains.

About Ciena

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

Insider Buying and Selling by Quarter for Ciena (NYSE:CIEN)

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