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At a Glance
- AI infrastructure stocks are dramatically outperforming, fueled by hyperscaler data center buildouts and surging demand for optical networking equipment.
- Ciena and Lumentum are delivering explosive earnings growth, with strong revenue beats and forward guidance tied directly to AI-driven network expansion.
- Momentum is extended in the short term, suggesting investors may benefit from waiting for pullbacks rather than chasing stocks after massive multi-month gains.
While the broader market remains rangebound and choppy, with mega-cap software and tech names lagging so far this year, one pocket of the market has caught fire. Communication technology companies tied directly to AI infrastructure have dramatically outperformed. These outperforming stocks are benefiting from powerful capital rotation and accelerating demand trends.
This niche corner of the technology sector is outperforming the Nasdaq and beating defensive leaders in consumer staples and energy. The reason is simple: the AI buildout is no longer theoretical. It’s physical. And it’s expensive.
Hyperscalers and cloud giants are racing to construct AI-optimized data centers at a scale the market has never seen before. That means surging demand for high-speed optical networking, photonics, and advanced transport systems capable of moving massive amounts of data with minimal latency. As AI models grow larger and inference workloads scale globally, networking has become just as critical as compute.
But with several leading names already posting massive year-to-date and multi-month gains, the question becomes obvious: Is it too late to step in?
Let’s look at two standout names.
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Ciena: Optical Networking Demand Surges
Ciena (NYSE: CIEN), a $42 billion communication equipment leader, has emerged as a direct beneficiary of the AI-driven infrastructure boom. The company specializes in optical networking hardware, packet-optical platforms, and software solutions used by service providers and cloud operators scaling AI capacity.
The stock is up nearly 28% year-to-date and more than 200% over the past six months, a staggering move that reflects both earnings acceleration and multiple expansion.
Recent results validate the momentum. For Q4 2025, Ciena delivered earnings per share (EPS) of 91 cents, beating estimates by a wide margin, while revenue climbed more than 20% year-over-year.
Demand tied to AI-related network upgrades continues to support backlog visibility and forward guidance.
Valuation, however, tells two stories. Ciena's P/E ratio of 350 appears extreme. But its forward multiple near the low-40s suggests major earnings growth, with analysts expecting significant profit expansion as AI-driven orders flow through.
Institutional ownership remains high, with major net inflows over the past 12 months, signaling conviction among large investors. Still, after such an aggressive run, chasing new highs carries risk. A healthy consolidation above rising short-term moving averages would offer a more favorable risk-reward setup than entering on extended momentum.
Lumentum: AI-Driven Growth on Full Display
If Ciena has been strong, Lumentum (NASDAQ: LITE) has been explosive.
The photonics and laser component manufacturer, critical to hyperscale data center interconnects, is up more than 50% year-to-date and several hundred percent over the past six months. The move has been fueled by eye-popping earnings growth.
Lumentum delivered EPS well above expectations for Q2 2026 on Feb. 3, with revenue surging more than 65% year-over-year.
Management highlighted demand for cloud and AI as the primary growth driver, alongside significant margin expansion.
Guidance for the upcoming quarter also came in ahead of consensus, reinforcing the narrative that AI infrastructure spending remains strong. Like Ciena, Lumentum's trailing valuation looks stretched, but forward multiples reflect the rapid earnings ramp underway. Even so, technical indicators suggest the stock is extended in the near term. After such a sharp move, patience may prove valuable. Strong stocks often provide secondary entries after consolidations, not necessarily at euphoric highs.
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Too Late? Or Just Early in a Multi-Year Cycle?
The AI infrastructure cycle is still in its early innings. Data center upgrades, optical networking expansion, and AI compute scaling are long-duration trends that could span years, not quarters.
However, near-term momentum is undeniably stretched in parts of the group. And not just the two stocks above, but also other leading names in the sector, such as Coherent (NYSE: COHR)and Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW). For long-term investors, selective exposure on pullbacks may make more sense than chasing vertical moves.
The opportunity likely isn’t gone, but disciplined entries now matter more than ever when stocks are running this hot.
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