Ciena Q1 revenue beats estimates on AI demand; hikes FY sales forecast

Ciena

05/03/2026 12:09

Overview

Networking technology firm's fiscal Q1 revenue rose 33%, beating analyst expectations

Adjusted EPS for fiscal Q1 increased 111% yr/yr

Company raised fiscal yr 2026 revenue guidance

Outlook

Ciena expects fiscal Q2 2026 revenue of $1.5 bln plus or minus $50 mln

Ciena raises fiscal year 2026 revenue guidance to $5.9 bln to $6.3 bln

Company expects fiscal year 2026 adjusted operating margin between 17.5% and 19.5%

Result Drivers

AI DEMAND - CEO Gary Smith attributed strong Q1 performance to broad-based demand for AI-enabled networking solutions

STRONG BACKLOG - CFO Marc Graff noted a historically strong order book and record Q1 backlog supporting future demand

STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS - Ciena is investing to deliver long-term value and meet high-speed connectivity needs

Company press release: ID:nBw6yryNWa

Key Details

Metric
Beat/Miss
Actual
Consensus Estimate
Q1 Revenue
Beat
$1.43 bln
$1.40 bln (12 Analysts)
Q1 Adjusted EPS
$1.35


Analyst Coverage

The current average analyst rating on the shares is "buy" and the breakdown of recommendations is 11 "strong buy" or "buy", 7 "hold" and no "sell" or "strong sell"

The average consensus recommendation for the communications & networking peer group is "buy"

Wall Street's median 12-month price target for Ciena Corp is $275.00, about 20% below its March 4 closing price of $343.55

The stock recently traded at 59 times the next 12-month earnings vs. a P/E of 47 three months ago

For questions concerning the data in this report, contact Estimates.Support@lseg.com. For any other questions or feedback, contact reuters.support@thomsonreuters.com.

(This story was created using Reuters automation and AI based on LSEG and company data. It was checked and edited by a Reuters journalist prior to publication.)