Ciena Stock Skyrockets After Blowout Q3 Earnings Crush Expectations

Ciena just delivered a quarter that left Wall Street scrambling to upgrade price targets.

The networking infrastructure specialist posted remarkable Q3 results that sent shares soaring—proving once again that betting against infrastructure plays in an AI-driven world is like shorting oxygen.

Revenue surged past estimates while margins expanded dramatically, showcasing operational efficiency that would make most legacy tech firms blush.

Optical networking demand continues exploding as hyperscalers scramble to build out AI infrastructure—because apparently we need even faster cat video delivery systems.

Guidance blew past analyst projections, suggesting this isn't just a flash in the pan but sustained momentum heading into next quarter.

Yet another reminder that while finfluencers chase meme stocks, the real money gets made in boring companies moving actual 1s and 0s.

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Ciena reported revenue of $1.22 billion in its latest earnings report, which beat analysts’ estimate of $1.17 billion. This also represented revenue growth of 29.5% year-over-year from $942.3 million. That was fueled by strong increases in Optical Networking revenue, which accounted for 66.9% of the company’s total revenue.

Ciena stock was up 27.27% on Thursday, extending a 42.29% year-to-date rally. The shares have also increased 80.85% over the past 12 months.

Ciena Guidance

Ciena provided investors with guidance in its latest earnings report. The company expects revenue in Fiscal Q4 2025 to range from $1.24 billion to $1.32 billion. Even at the low end of that outlook, the company is set to beat Wall Street’s revenue estimate of $1.21 billion for the period.

Ciena also included other Fiscal Q4 2025 guidance in its earnings report. That includes an adjusted gross margin of 42% to 43% and adjusted operating expenses of $390 million to $400 million.

Is Ciena Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?

Turning to Wall Street, the analysts’ consensus rating for Ciena is Moderate Buy, based on nine Buy, three Hold, and a single Sell rating over the past three months. With that comes an average CIEN stock price target of $92.33, representing a potential 22.75% downside for the shares. These ratings and price targets will likely change as analysts update their coverage after today’s earnings report.