Coherent Stock Price, News & Analysis

Coherent Corp. (NYSE: COHR) is a global photonics company that develops and manufactures technologies based on the control and use of light and advanced materials. According to the company, it is the global photonics leader, and its technologies are used by industry leaders in the datacenter, communications, and industrial markets to support their own innovation and growth. Founded in 1971 and operating in more than 20 countries, Coherent combines a broad technology base with large-scale manufacturing and supply capabilities.

Coherent’s business spans materials, networking, and lasers. It develops, manufactures, and markets engineered materials, optoelectronic components and devices, and lasers for use in industrial, communications, electronics, and instrumentation markets. The company has reported operating through segments historically described as Networking, Materials, and Lasers, and has also disclosed segment reporting for Datacenter and Communications and Industrial activities in its SEC filings. Coherent has stated that its Networking segment has been a major revenue contributor.

In engineered materials, Coherent is active in wide-bandgap semiconductor materials, including silicon carbide (SiC) substrates. The company has announced a next-generation 300 mm silicon carbide platform that builds on its 200 mm experience to address thermal efficiency demands in AI datacenter infrastructure. These conductive SiC substrates are described as providing low resistivity, low defect density, and high homogeneity, supporting low-dissipation, high-frequency operation and good thermal stability. Coherent has highlighted that these materials can improve energy efficiency and thermal performance in datacenter systems, enable thinner and more efficient waveguides for AR/VR devices, and support power electronics applications.

Coherent’s networking and optical communications portfolio includes products such as programmable optical filters and related test equipment. The company has introduced the WaveShaper 1000A Sharp, a programmable optical filter with fine frequency resolution that is designed for advanced optical network and photonics applications. It is intended to help network designers emulate and optimize the filtering effects of reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers (ROADMs) in complex meshed optical networks, and to support applications such as microwave photonics, terahertz spectroscopy, and metrology. Coherent has also indicated that this product works with its WaveAnalyzer family of high-resolution optical spectrum analyzers.

In lasers and photonics systems, Coherent offers a range of visible and ultrafast laser platforms. The company has launched the Sapphire XT, a compact visible laser platform based on Optically Pumped Semiconductor (OPS) technology. Sapphire XT is described as a one-box solution with integrated controller, available at 488 nm, 532 nm, and 561 nm with 1 W output power at each wavelength. It targets advanced life science applications such as super-resolution microscopy and DNA sequencing, as well as emerging quantum sensing, holography, and semiconductor uses that require ultra-low noise, long-term power stability, and reliability. The system supports customized wavelengths, optional single-mode or multi-mode fiber coupling, and intrinsic electrical modulation, and is compatible with the Coherent OBIS XT platform for multi-wavelength solutions.

Coherent has also introduced the Axon FP, a fiber-delivered femtosecond laser in the Axon family, designed for multiphoton microscopy and other nonlinear imaging applications in life sciences, instrumentation, and metrology. Axon FP is described as a compact, air-cooled, rack-mountable source with fiber-delivered, collimated output, available in 920 nm and 1064 nm configurations with over 1 W of output power. By integrating components and controls into one unit and delivering the beam through fiber, the platform aims to simplify optical integration, reduce alignment complexity, and support portability between setups.

In industrial laser applications, Coherent has announced the EDGE CUT20 OEM Cutting Solution, which pairs the CUT20 laser cutting head with the EDGE FL20 fiber laser for sheet-metal cutting. The solution is based on a co-engineered laser-and-optics architecture designed to align beam delivery and optical performance. The CUT20 head, rated for laser powers up to 20 kW, incorporates MZ functionality that combines Z-axis focus-position control with magnification (spot-size) adjustment, enabling independent optimization of focus and beam diameter. The package also incorporates SmartQD technology, which integrates process monitoring into the delivery fiber connector for functions such as pierce detection, loss-of-cut, and burn detection.

Coherent has engaged in portfolio shaping to focus on core growth areas. The company reported that it closed the sale of its Aerospace and Defense business, and that this transaction was immediately accretive to its gross margin and earnings per share. The former Aerospace & Defense business of Coherent now operates as Attalon, Inc., an independent defense technology company following its acquisition by Advent International. Coherent has also announced an agreement to sell its product division that makes and sells tools for materials processing to Bystronic, with proceeds intended to reduce debt.

Coherent’s financial disclosures underscore its scale in the photonics and materials space. In its first quarter of fiscal 2026, the company reported revenues in the billions of dollars and discussed strong demand from AI-related datacenters and communications. It has highlighted revenue growth, gross margin expansion, and debt reduction, and has described ongoing production capacity expansion to support demand. The company has also undertaken credit agreement amendments to refinance and expand its revolving credit and term loan facilities, extending maturities and adjusting leverage covenants.

Coherent is incorporated in Pennsylvania and its common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol COHR. The company has disclosed that it operates through at least two reportable segments, Datacenter and Communications and Industrial, in its SEC filings, reflecting its focus on photonics solutions for these markets. Shareholders include holders of common stock and Series B-1 and Series B-2 Convertible Preferred Stock. In 2025, Coherent entered into a Waiver Agreement with Bain Capital, the holder of the Series B preferred shares, under which Bain Capital waived rights to receive dividends on those shares from the date of the agreement, which the company characterized as aligning interests between preferred and common shareholders.

Coherent maintains an active presence in industry events and technical conferences. The company has announced participation in SPIE BiOS and Photonics West, with executives and technical experts presenting on topics such as advanced laser architectures, specialty materials, precision laser processing, optical fibers and sensors for medical diagnostics, multiphoton microscopy, semiconductor laser diodes, inertial fusion energy technologies, fiber lasers, high-temperature superconducting tapes, and magneto-optic crystals. Coherent also exhibits its latest innovations in lasers, materials, fibers, and advanced optical components at major trade shows, reflecting its engagement with industrial, scientific, and energy-related applications.

Overall, Coherent positions itself as a vertically integrated manufacturing company in photonics and engineered materials, with activities that include materials platforms such as silicon carbide, optical networking components and test equipment, visible and ultrafast lasers, and industrial laser systems. Its technologies are directed toward enabling higher performance, energy efficiency, precision, and reliability in demanding applications across datacenters, communications networks, industrial processing, life sciences, and other advanced technology domains.