Lazard Asset Management LLC Sells 6,788 Shares of Ciena Corporation $CIEN

Lazard Asset Management LLC decreased its stake in Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) by 77.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,968 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock after selling 6,788 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Ciena were worth $764,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CIEN. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ciena in the first quarter worth $395,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in Ciena by 139.6% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 5,253 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 3,061 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Ciena by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 222,054 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $13,419,000 after buying an additional 3,117 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in Ciena by 14.6% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,762 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $348,000 after acquiring an additional 733 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in Ciena during the second quarter worth about $234,000. 91.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ciena News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ciena this week:

• Positive Sentiment: A potential U.S. ban on vital Chinese data-center hardware could redirect spending toward Ciena and other North American networking-equipment providers. The Trump Administration Just Gave Ciena Stock a Huge Boost
• Positive Sentiment: AI-related networking demand remains a major growth driver, supporting expectations for continued investment in high-capacity optical and data-center infrastructure. Ciena in Focus as AI Fuels Networking Demand
• Positive Sentiment: e& UAE unveiled a DWDM network powered by Ciena technology, providing evidence of international commercial adoption of its high-speed connectivity solutions. e& UAE Unveils Future-Ready DWDM Network
• Positive Sentiment: Ciena, Toshiba and Quantum Corridor completed a 1.6 Tb/s quantum-safe encryption trial on a live commercial network, highlighting potential future applications for Ciena’s optical technology without requiring new hardware. Ciena Completes Quantum Safe Networking Trial
• Neutral Sentiment: Ciena was named among the Network X Awards 2026 finalists, offering industry recognition but limited immediate financial impact. Network X Awards 2026 Finalists Announced
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Ciena from “Strong Buy” to “Hold,” potentially limiting near-term buying interest.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Gary Smith sold 2,952 shares worth approximately $1.12 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The scheduled nature reduces its significance, but the transaction is still a modest sentiment headwind.

Ciena Price Performance

CIEN stock opened at $408.77 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $446.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $418.18. The stock has a market cap of $57.86 billion, a PE ratio of 136.26 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 2.73, a quick ratio of 2.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Ciena Corporation has a 1 year low of $84.41 and a 1 year high of $637.51.

Ciena (NYSE:CIEN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 4th. The communications equipment provider reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $1.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. Ciena had a return on equity of 18.15% and a net margin of 7.87%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 39.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.42 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Ciena Corporation will post 5.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on CIEN. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Ciena from $405.00 to $490.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Northland Securities set a $450.00 price objective on Ciena in a report on Friday, June 5th. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on Ciena from $320.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Argus set a $650.00 target price on Ciena in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Finally, B. Riley Financial raised their target price on shares of Ciena from $283.00 to $531.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ciena presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $530.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ciena

In other Ciena news, CEO Gary B. Smith sold 2,952 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.81, for a total value of $1,121,199.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 248,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $94,565,853.42. The trade was a 1.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Jason Phipps sold 2,629 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $466.20, for a total value of $1,225,639.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 62,382 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,082,488.40. This trade represents a 4.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 21,627 shares of company stock valued at $10,508,776 in the last 90 days. 0.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Ciena

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.