Ciena Corp Stock Price, News & Analysis

Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) announced the appointment of Lawton W. Fitt as independent Chair of its Board of Directors, effective December 11, 2024. She succeeds Patrick H. Nettles, Ph.D., who stepped down as Executive Chair and will retire at the 2025 Annual Meeting. Fitt, who has served as a Director since 2000 and chaired Ciena's Audit Committee, brings extensive experience including a 23-year career at Goldman Sachs where she was a partner and managing director. Dr. Nettles, who joined Ciena in 1994, will remain on the board until his retirement, supporting Fitt's transition. He previously served as CEO from 1994 to 2001 and has been Executive Chair since May 2001.

Ciena reported Q4 2024 financial results with revenue of $1.12 billion, slightly down from $1.13 billion in Q4 2023. For fiscal year 2024, revenue was $4.01 billion, compared to $4.39 billion in 2023. The company's Q4 GAAP net income was $37.0 million ($0.25 per share), down from $91.2 million ($0.62 per share) in Q4 2023. Adjusted Q4 net income was $79.3 million ($0.54 per share). During Q4, Ciena repurchased approximately 2.1 million shares for $132.0 million. The company ended fiscal 2024 with $1.33 billion in cash and investments, generating $514.5 million in operating cash flow for the year.

Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) has scheduled the announcement of its fiscal fourth quarter and year-end 2024 financial results for Thursday, December 12, 2024, before market open. The company will release supporting materials on its website's Investor Relations section and host a live audio web broadcast at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. An archived version of the conference call will be available after the live broadcast in the Events & Presentations section.

euNetworks has achieved a European first by deploying a 1.6 Tb/s coherent solution using Ciena's WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) on its production network. The deployment was conducted on a 281km route from Amsterdam to Düsseldorf, part of euNetworks' Super Highway infrastructure. The company is pre-deploying Ciena's Waveserver platforms across 13,000 kilometers to deliver 400G and 100G services.

The WL6e technology, utilizing 3nm silicon technology, offers 50% reduction in space and power consumption per bit and 15% improvement in spectral efficiency compared to previous generations. The system's performance is enhanced by euNetworks' Super Highway infrastructure, which combines low-loss G.657A1 fiber with fewer in-line amplifier shelters.

Boldyn Networks, a leading shared network infrastructure provider, has announced the deployment of scalable wavelength service up to 1.6Tb/s per channel across its fiber network in New York and New Jersey. This enhancement is powered by Ciena's WaveLogic 6 coherent optical technology, making Boldyn one of the first in the world to implement this advanced technology.

The upgrade significantly enhances network capacity and efficiency, catering to the growing demands of carriers, enterprises, and hyperscalers seeking reliable, high-capacity connections between data centers. Boldyn's offering combines cutting-edge coherent technology with a simple, server-like operational model, driving down cost per bit and reducing energy consumption.

The service is scalable from 100Gb/s to 1.6Tb/s, supporting current and future growth needs of customers. Ciena's WaveLogic 6 technology enables up to 1.6Tb/s single-carrier wavelengths for metro ROADM deployments, 1.2Tb/s across 1,000km distances, and 800Gb/s over the longest links.

ON NET FIBRA Colombia is leveraging Blue Planet software, a division of Ciena (NYSE:CIEN), to support its transition to a cloud-native Operations Support System (OSS) and automate service delivery. The deployment includes Blue Planet Inventory (BPI), Blue Planet Orchestration (BPO), and Blue Planet Unified Assurance & Analytics (UAA) applications, built on the Blue Planet Cloud Native Platform.

This implementation enables ON NET FIBRA to have a unified view of its network resources and services, delivering a full lifecycle approach across its open access xPON network. The modernized OSS is expected to improve digital connectivity experiences for customers and expand service coverage across Colombia.

Sify Technologies has upgraded its National Long Distance network using Ciena's optical technology, doubling capacity from 300G to 600G. This upgrade will interconnect Sify's key AI-ready data center hubs in Mumbai, Chennai, and Noida, along with surrounding metro areas. The enhanced network will support upcoming AI workloads and provide ultra-low latency connectivity for Gen AI, cloud services, and applications.

Sify is utilizing Ciena's 6500 Reconfigurable Line System and Waveserver 5, powered by WaveLogic 5 Extreme coherent optics. The deployment is supported by Ciena Services and includes the use of Ciena's Navigator Network Control Suite for real-time software control and network visibility. This upgrade positions Sify to meet the increasing bandwidth demand from global cloud providers and digital enterprises in India.

Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) has announced a new $1 billion share repurchase program authorized by its Board of Directors. The program will commence in fiscal year 2025 and continue through the end of fiscal year 2027. CFO James E. Moylan, Jr. stated that this decision reflects confidence in the company's business strength, cash generation, and operating results, as well as its competitive advantage with a robust balance sheet.

The repurchase may be executed through various methods, including open market, privately negotiated transactions, or structured through investment banking institutions. Ciena may also enter into Rule 10b5-1 plans to facilitate repurchases. The program's implementation is subject to factors such as liquidity, cash flow, stock price, and market conditions, and can be modified or suspended at any time. Funding will come from cash on hand or generated from operations.

Lightpath and Ciena have deployed the industry's first 400 Gb/s protected optical circuit using power-efficient and high-performance pluggable technologies. This achievement increases maximum bandwidth levels for mission-critical services while using 80% less electricity. The solution was designed for a hyperscale customer, providing a 400 Gb/s geographically diverse and protected circuit over approximately 200 miles, traversing water crossings and utilizing an average of 8 POPs per side.

The deployment combines Lightpath's dense fiber plant with Ciena's 6500 packet optical platform powered by WaveLogic 5 Nano coherent pluggable optics. Key features include optical layer protection, reducing customer circuit handoffs by half while maintaining less than 50ms switch times. Ciena's WaveLogic 5 Nano solution delivers the highest 400G pluggable performance in the industry, requiring 50% less physical space compared to standard transponder deployments.