Why Ciena Stock Rocked the Market in December

In the final month of 2025, investors were clearly seeing the value of Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) stock. Shares of the optical networking equipment specialist raced nearly 15% higher over the course of December, which shouldn't be surprising given its excellent fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 results, and the wave of analyst price target raises that followed the earnings release.

Double-digit improvements

For the quarter, Ciena booked $1.35 billion in revenue, which was a sturdy 20% higher than its take in the same period of 2024. Net income not in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) surged even higher, rising at a 68% clip to hit nearly $133 million, or $0.91 per share.

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With that kind of performance, Ciena had almost no trouble beating the consensus analyst estimates. These called for revenue of $1.29 billion, and non-GAAP (adjusted) net profit of $0.77 per share.

Ciena is doing well as a pick-and-shovel play on the persistently high demand for artificial intelligence (AI). As a provider of optical networking equipment that facilitates high-speed data transfer, it's a go-to supplier of infrastructure necessary for AI build-outs and systems.

In its earnings release, the company quoted CEO Gary Smith as saying that its fourth quarter "reinforces our position as the global leader in high-speed connectivity with an expanding role in the AI ecosystem." CEO statements like that usually contain some level of hype, but not in this case.

The good times should continue to roll for Ciena. The company proffered first-quarter and full-year guidance for fiscal 2026. It anticipates earning revenue of $5.7 billion to $6.1 billion, with its adjusted operating margin coming in at 16% to 18%. It did not provide any net income forecasts.

The low end of that guidance range is 19% higher than the fiscal 2025 result. It's also comfortably above the slightly more than $5.5 billion average prognosticator estimate.

It's easy to be a Ciena bull these days

Given such quarterly leaps in fundamentals, not to mention the very bullish guidance, it was hard for analysts not to positively update their takes on Ciena post-earnings. More than a few of them upped their price targets on the hot tech stock in the wake of the quarterly release.

Among the fairly large crowd of raisers was Raymond James' Simon Leopold, who more than doubled his Ciena fair value assessment to $250 per share from his preceding $120. He also maintained his outperform (i.e., buy) recommendation.

According to reports, Leopold waxed optimistic in his update about management's effectiveness in broadening the company's business during these boom times. He wrote that this could be just the beginning of AI-fueled growth for this crucial supplier of the technology's infrastructure.

Given that, it's easy to be bullish on Ciena's future, and my thinking generally aligns with such optimistic views. I should caution, however, that it's hardly an undiscovered stock, and since it's expensive on both a price and valuation basis, investors might be better off looking for a more under-the-radar, AI-related title.

Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.