Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Key Takeaways Corning reports Q2 2026 earnings on July 28, with Optical Communications expected to lead growth.GLW's AI infrastructure, fiber broadband and solar businesses are expected to support results.GLW has topped earnings estimates in the past four quarters but lacks a favorable earnings beat signal. Corning Incorporated (GLW - Free Report) is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 earnings on July 28, 2026. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales and earnings is pegged at $4.6 billion and 76 cents per share, respectively. Earnings estimates for GLW have decreased 0.31% to $3.18 for 2026 and increased 0.96% to $4.22 for 2027 over the past 60 days.

GLW Estimate Trend
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Earnings Surprise HistoryThe advanced glass substrates producer has a solid trailing four-quarter earnings surprise history, having exceeded expectations on each occasion. It delivered a four-quarter earnings surprise of 2.41%, on average.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Earnings WhispersOur proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Corning for the second quarter. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. That is not the case here.

Corning currently has an ESP of -0.70% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Factor Shaping Upcoming ResultsCorning's Optical Communications business is expected to remain the primary growth engine in the second quarter. Growing investment in AI infrastructure will likely propel growth in this segment. Rising deployment of AI data centers is increasing demand for the company's optical fiber, cable and connectivity products.

Ongoing expansion of fiber broadband networks is another growth factor. Telecom carriers continue investing in fiber-to-the-home infrastructure to meet rising bandwidth requirements, creating strong demand for Corning's optical solutions.

The Solar business is expected to remain a major contributor. Demand for domestically manufactured solar products, including polysilicon, wafers and modules, remains healthy. Customers increasingly prefer U.S. made products and suppliers to increase reliability in their supply chain amid growing geopolitical volatility and trade uncertainty. Growing investment in advanced chip production and AI-related semiconductor capacity is supporting demand for the company's high-performance materials and optical technologies.

Per the Zacks Consensus Estimate, net sales from the optical communications segment are pegged at $1.94 billion, up from $1.56 billion a year ago. Net sales from the automotive and Life Sciences vertical are pegged at $453.36 million and $315.35 million, respectively.

Price PerformanceOver the past year, Corning has surged 191% compared with the industry’s growth of 251.2%. It has outperformed peers like Amphenol Corporation (APH - Free Report) but lagged Ciena Corporation (CIEN - Free Report) over this period. While Amphenol has gained 56.7%, Ciena has jumped 371.1%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Key Valuation MetricFrom a valuation standpoint, Corning appears premium relative to the industry but is trading above its mean. Going by the price/earnings ratio, the company shares currently trade at 43.17 forward earnings, higher than 39.47 for the industry and higher than the stock’s mean of 31.88.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Investment ConsiderationCorning is positioning itself as a critical supplier to the AI ecosystem. An AI data center requires massive GPU clusters, high-speed optical interconnects, robust fiber networking infrastructure and advanced photonic solutions. Hyperscalers are rapidly expanding AI data centers, and this is directly boosting demand for Corning’s leading-edge optical fiber and connectivity products.

The company's Solar business has also emerged as an important growth engine. Its vertically integrated U.S. manufacturing platform, spanning polysilicon, wafers and solar modules, positions Corning to capitalize on growing demand for domestically produced solar components. Growing demand for specialty optical materials used in semiconductor manufacturing further diversifies its revenue base. Despite some weakness, demand for premium Corning’s Gorilla Glass products remains resilient. A diverse portfolio and strong focus on innovation enable it to maintain its competitive edge amid growing competition from other players, such as Amphenol and Ciena.

Corning's ongoing productivity initiatives are expected to remain a positive driver. Improved manufacturing efficiency, disciplined cost management and a more favorable product mix are expected to drive strong margin expansion.

End NoteCorning continues to strengthen its competitive position through innovation across optical connectivity, advanced glass and semiconductor applications. Expansion into high-growth markets, such as AI data center, solar, automotive and semiconductor, is a positive factor. Upward estimate revisions underscore growing confidence among investors regarding the stock's growth potential. Owing to these factors, Corning seems to be a good investment option at present.

Corning (GLW - Free Report) is expected to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended June 2026. This widely-known consensus outlook gives a good sense of the company's earnings picture, but how the actual results compare to these estimates is a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price.

The earnings report, which is expected to be released on July 28, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expectations. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.

While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call, it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise.

Zacks Consensus EstimateThis specialty glass maker is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.76 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +26.7%.

Revenues are expected to be $4.6 billion, up 13.8% from the year-ago quarter.

Estimate Revisions TrendThe consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.6% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.

Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts.

Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Earnings WhisperEstimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction).

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.

Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.

A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.

Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).

How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Corning?For Corning, the Most Accurate Estimate is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bearish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of -0.70%.

On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #2.

So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Corning will beat the consensus EPS estimate.

Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?While calculating estimates for a company's future earnings, analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.

For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Corning would post earnings of $0.7 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.70, delivering no surprise.

Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates three times.

Bottom LineAn earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.

That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

Corning doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.

Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.

Posted by Defense World Staff on Jul 21st, 2026

Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised its stake in shares of Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW – Free Report) by 179.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,471 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after buying an additional 5,437 shares during the period. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft’s holdings in Corning were worth $1,144,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Beirne Wealth Consulting Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Corning by 0.8% in the first quarter. Beirne Wealth Consulting Services LLC now owns 8,045 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $1,094,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Balefire LLC boosted its position in Corning by 0.7% during the first quarter. Balefire LLC now owns 9,595 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $1,305,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its stake in Corning by 1.3% in the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 5,393 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $733,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Corning by 1.6% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,585 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $623,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caldwell Trust Co increased its position in Corning by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 15,893 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $2,161,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. 69.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Corning In other news, VP John Z. Zhang sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.34, for a total value of $1,983,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 5,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,019,070.92. This represents a 66.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Wendell P. Weeks sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $186.46, for a total transaction of $18,646,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 908,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $169,371,500.38. The trade was a 9.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 160,655 shares of company stock valued at $30,692,560. 0.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Corning Trading Down 1.1% Shares of NYSE:GLW opened at $152.97 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $131.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 73.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $191.73 and its 200-day moving average is $153.75. Corning Incorporated has a 52-week low of $53.29 and a 52-week high of $271.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.61.

Corning (NYSE:GLW – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The electronics maker reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.01. Corning had a return on equity of 19.45% and a net margin of 11.09%.The business had revenue of $4.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.54 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 18.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Corning has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.730-0.770 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Corning Incorporated will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Corning Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be given a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. Corning’s payout ratio is currently 53.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GLW shares. Wall Street Zen raised Corning from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Corning in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Corning from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Corning from $125.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 target price on shares of Corning in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $194.69.

View Our Latest Research Report on GLW

About Corning (Free Report)

Corning Incorporated is a global manufacturer specializing in specialty glass, ceramics and related materials and technologies. Headquartered in Corning, New York, the company supplies engineered materials and components used across multiple industries, including consumer electronics, telecommunications, automotive emissions control, pharmaceutical and life sciences, and industrial and scientific applications. Corning emphasizes materials science and precision manufacturing to develop durable, high-performance glass and ceramic products.

Key product lines include specialty display glass used by television and mobile-device manufacturers, cover glass marketed under well-known trade names for smartphones and tablets, and optical fiber and cable and related hardware for telecommunications networks.

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« PREVIOUS HEADLINEEli Lilly and Company $LLY Shares Sold by Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft

16.7.2026 15:57, JBHT, ABT

Index Dow Jones -0,02 % na 52647,4 b. S&P 500 -0,45 % na 7538,29 b. Nasdaq Composite -1,08 % na 25985,74 b.

Nejsledovanější americké indexy v úvodu obchodování ztrácejí. Podle agentury Bloomberg výprodej akcií výrobců čipů táhne dolů celý akciový trh kvůli obavám, zda masivní investice do umělé inteligence dokážou ospravedlnit jejich vysoké valuace. Trh oslabuje také pod vlivem rostoucích cen ropy, které tlačí nahoru výnosy dluhopisů.

Zdravotnická společnost Abbott Laboratories (+14 %) posiluje poté, co zvýšila svůj celoroční výhled očištěného zisku na akcii, přičemž tento aktualizovaný výhled překonal průměrný odhad analytiků. Firma zároveň vykázala za druhé čtvrtletí očištěný zisk a čisté tržby, které předčily očekávání. Podrobnosti připravujeme v samostatné zprávě.

Daří se také akciím poskytovatele služeb v oblasti nákladní dopravy J.B. Hunt Transport Services (+8,1 %) poté, co společnost vykázala za druhé čtvrtletí očištěný zisk na akcii, který překonal průměrný odhad analytiků. Analytici vyzdvihují pokrok v jejím intermodálním podnikání, v němž společnost využívá dva nebo více způsobů přepravy.

Své výsledky zveřejnily také společnosti UnitedHealth Group (+7,9 %), General Electric Aerospace (-4,9 %) a TSMC (-2,5 %). Podrobnosti naleznete v jednotlivých zprávách.

Index S&P 500 -0,45 % na 7538,29 b. Nejsilnější sektory S&P Změna Nejslabší sektory S&P Změna Zdravotní péče +2,5 % Informační technologie -2,1 % Nezbytná spotřeba +2,2 % Průmysl -0,4 % Energie +1,1 % Komunikační služby -0,3 % Nejsilnější akcie S&P Změna Nejslabší akcie S&P Změna Abbott Laboratories (ABT) +14 % Sandisk Corp (SNDK) -8,8 % JB Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) +8,1 % Seagate Technology Holdings (STX) -8,2 % UnitedHealth Group (UNH) +7,9 % Corning (GLW) -8,0 % Erie Indemnity (ERIE) +7,8 % Western Digital Corp (WDC) -7,5 % Dexcom (DXCM) +7,2 % Marvell Technology (MRVL) -6,6 % Zdroj: Bloomberg

Michal Bárta
Fio banka, a.s.
Prohlášení

The Zacks Communication - Components industry is likely to benefit from healthy demand trends driven by the fast-track 5G deployment and the transition to cloud and fiber networks. However, volatility in prices due to elevated customer inventory levels, high capital expenditure for infrastructure upgrades, margin erosion, volatility in oil prices and geopolitical conflicts has dented the industry’s profitability.

Of the industry players, Corning Incorporated (GLW - Free Report) , Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV - Free Report) and Ooma, Inc. (OOMA - Free Report) are likely to gain in the long run as demand for scalable infrastructure for seamless connectivity rises with the widespread proliferation of IoT, accelerated 5G rollout and fiber densification.

Industry Description The Zacks Communication - Components industry primarily comprises companies that provide diverse telecom products and services to develop scalable network architecture, demand-driven video solutions and broadband access equipment. These include various building blocks such as small cells, routers and antennas incorporated into equipment and facilities and subsequently utilized by service providers to build networks for end users. Their product portfolio encompasses optical and copper connectivity products, hybrid fiber-coaxial equipment, edge routers, metro Wi-Fi, storage and distribution equipment for cable TV operators, modems, EMTAs (Embedded Multimedia Terminal Adapter), gateways, set-top boxes, analog and digital microphones, audio processors, glass substrates for LCD TVs and notebooks, and ceramic substrates for mobile and laboratory filtration products.

What's Shaping the Future of the Communication Components Industry? Software-Driven Data-Centric Connectivity: The firms are likely to benefit from a software-driven, data-centric approach that helps customers build their cloud architecture and enhance the cloud experience. The industry participants are well-poised for growth in the data-driven cloud networking business with proactive platforms and predictive operations. Fiber networks are essential for the growing deployment of small cells that bring the network closer to the user and supplement macro networks to provide extensive coverage. Telecom service providers are increasingly leaning toward fiber optic cable to meet the burgeoning demand for cloud-based business data and video streaming services by individuals. Moreover, the fiber-optic cable network is vital for backhaul and last-mile local loops, which are required by wireless service providers to deploy the 5G network.

Network Convergence: With operators moving toward converged or multi-use network structures, combining voice, video and data communications into a single network, the industry is increasingly developing solutions with steady R&D investments to support wireline and wireless network convergence. These investments are likely to help minimize service delivery costs to adequately support broadband competition and expand rural coverage and wireless densification. The industry players have enabled enterprises to rapidly scale communications functionalities to a vast range of applications and devices with easy-to-use software application programming interfaces. The firms support high user volumes without affecting deliverability and cost-effectively eliminate performance degradation.

Waning Profits: Although higher infrastructure investments will eventually help minimize service delivery costs to support broadband competition and wireless densification, short-term profitability has largely been compromised. High technological obsolescence of most products has escalated operating costs with steady investments in R&D. High customer inventory levels and a conservative approach toward placing orders for high-value items remain other headwinds. Moreover, high raw material prices due to the United States-Iran war, volatility in oil prices due to restrictions across the Strait of Hormuz and the consequent economic fallout have affected the operation schedule of various firms.

Solid Demand Trends: As both consumers and enterprises are using networks more extensively, there is tremendous demand for quality networking components. Additionally, data consumption patterns are changing, with a growing propensity to consume more video content, creating the need for faster data transfer. Since optical networks are more efficient and most existing networks are copper-based, the demand for optical solutions is strong. The industry firms offer several products focused on the data center, with a typical portfolio comprising optical fiber, hardware, cables and connectors, enabling them to meet the evolving customer requirements and bridge the digital divide across the United States.

Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Bullish Prospects The Zacks Communication - Components industry is housed within the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector. It carries a Zacks Industry Rank #31, which places it among the top 13% of more than 250 Zacks industries.

The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates rosy prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than two to one.

Before we present a few communication component stocks that are well-positioned to outperform the market based on a strong earnings outlook, let’s take a look at the industry’s recent stock market performance and valuation picture.

Industry Outperforms S&P 500, Sector The Zacks Communication - Infrastructure industry has outperformed the S&P 500 composite and the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector over the past year.

The industry has jumped a stellar 293.4% over this period compared with the S&P 500 and sector’s rise of 23.6% and 33.2%, respectively.

One-Year Price Performance

Industry's Current Valuation On the basis of the trailing 12-month price-to-book (P/B), the industry is currently trading at 12.21 compared with the S&P 500’s 8.09X. It is also above the sector’s trailing 12-month P/B of 10.45X.

Over the past five years, the industry has traded as high as 15.4X, as low as 1.72X and at the median of 2.53X, as the chart below shows.

Trailing 12-Month Price-to-Book (P/B) Ratio

3 Communication Components Stocks to Buy Corning: New York-based Corning produces advanced glass substrates that are used in various applications across multiple markets, such as display technologies, optical communications, environmental technologies, specialty materials and life sciences businesses. The stock has surged 248.6% over the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current and next fiscal-year earnings has been revised 14.3% and 40.2% upward, respectively, over the past year. It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 23.9% and delivered an earnings surprise of 2.4%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.

Corning continues to focus on developing state-of-the-art cover materials, which have been deployed on more than 8 billion devices. It offers several products focused on the data center, with a portfolio consisting of optical fiber, hardware, cables and connectors, enabling it to create optical solutions to meet evolving customer needs. The rising adoption of innovative optical connectivity products for generative AI applications is expected to be a key growth driver for the company. Corning currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Price and Consensus: GLW

Viavi: Headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, Viavi is a leading provider of network test, monitoring and service enablement solutions to diverse sectors across the globe. It offers products with end-to-end network visibility and analytics that help build, test, certify, maintain and optimize complex physical and virtual networks. It delivered an earnings surprise of 13%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current and next fiscal-year earnings has been revised 69.1% and 106.8% upward, respectively, over the past year.

The integration of Spirent’s high-speed Ethernet and network security testing assets continues to contribute to revenue growth and broadens Viavi’s addressable market across enterprise and data center applications. Investments in PCIe 7.0 analysis capabilities and the launch of the CyberFlood CF1000 platform expand Viavi’s ability to validate AI inference workloads, encrypted traffic and next-generation data center infrastructure. It strengthens exposure to long-term AI-related network testing demand and supports continued growth in lab, production and field-testing solutions. This Zacks Rank #2 company is up 300.4% in the past year.

Price and Consensus: VIAV

Ooma: Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, Ooma offers cloud-based communications solutions, smart security and other connected services. Its smart software-as-a-service and unified-communications-as-a-service platforms serve as a hub for seamless communications and networking infrastructure applications. This Zacks Rank #2 firm delivered an earnings surprise of 14.2%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current and next fiscal-year earnings has been revised 40.2% and 17.2% upward, respectively, over the past year. It has a VGM Score of A. The stock was up 68.2% in the past year.

Ooma’s focus on small business customers with simple, easy-to-use interfaces that can be implemented quickly without IT support for an integrated business connectivity solution is likely to drive healthy growth momentum. Its low-cost fixed line that reportedly offers faster emergency access services is expected to gain traction, while increased penetration within enterprise markets with customized offerings is expected to bear fruit.

Price and Consensus: OOMA

Key Takeaways GLW and BAND both tap AI connectivity trends, but the former appears better placed now.GLW benefits from optical connectivity demand tied to generative AI, data transfer and clouds.Bandwidth outpaced GLW over the past year and trades cheaper on price/sales, but faces CPaaS competition. Corning Incorporated (GLW - Free Report) and Bandwidth Inc. (BAND - Free Report) are key technology firms in the smartphone and communications value chain. Corning is a leading innovator in the glass substrate industry. In addition to being a pioneer in Gorilla Glass technology, the company manufactures specialty materials, including various formulations for glass, glass ceramics and fluoride crystals for specific industrial and commercial applications. It also manufactures optical fibers, glass substrates for LCD and PC displays, automotive glass solutions and various laboratory equipment.

On the other hand, Bandwidth operates as a Communications Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS) provider, offering software application programming interfaces for voice and messaging services. It is the only API platform provider that owns a Tier 1 network with enhanced network capacity, primarily catering to business enterprises.

With domain-specific expertise in core areas, both Corning and Bandwidth are well-positioned in the tech-adjacent manufacturing landscape and have the means to cater to the evolving demands of business enterprises. Let us delve a little deeper into the companies’ competitive dynamics to understand which of the two is relatively better placed in the industry.

The Case for GLWCorning is benefiting from improved demand and the commercialization of its innovations. Its capabilities are becoming increasingly vital to diverse industries. The fiber optic solutions business is likely to be the key growth driver for GLW, aided by the increasing use of mobile devices that require efficient data transfer and networking systems. Supporting this trend is the proliferation of clouds, resulting in increased storage and even virtual computing.

Since both consumers and enterprises are using networks more extensively, and the generated data is increasingly being used to train AI models, there is a solid demand for Corning’s innovative optical connectivity products for generative AI applications.

GLW’s operating structure has been reorganized to align executive management and business teams around five Market-Access Platforms to unlock opportunities for valuable synergies. These include Mobile Consumer Electronics, Optical Communications, Automotive, Life Sciences and Display. Corning has a leadership position in each of these markets, which, along with focused marketing efforts, has proved conducive to growth. In addition, the reorganization has increased efficiency by creating the opportunity to reuse assets and capabilities developed for customers in one market ecosystem to serve customers in another.

However, end market diversification is limited within the Display and Optical segments, which account for more than half of total revenues. Since the Display Technologies and Specialty Materials segments are primarily dependent on consumer spending, particularly on LCD TVs and mobile PCs, this narrows down the market. Building a significant market position in China amid a bitter U.S.-China trade relationship with heightened risk of the imposition of tariffs can adversely impact its operations.

The Case for BANDBandwidth is benefiting from several favorable industry trends that are strengthening its growth prospects. The transition from legacy telephony systems to cloud-based communications continues to serve as a major growth catalyst. Enterprises are increasingly adopting cloud-native communication solutions to improve customer engagement and operational efficiency. Bandwidth's CPaaS offerings enable businesses to integrate voice, messaging and emergency services directly into their applications. The ongoing digital transformation across industries is expected to drive sustained demand for these solutions.

Bandwidth is increasingly positioned as a core infrastructure provider for AI-driven enterprise communications, with its Maestro orchestration platform enabling integration of voice AI into real-time workflows. Customers are deploying AI in production environments, increasing interaction volume and expanding revenue per interaction. The company’s role in enabling governed workflows allows it to capture incremental usage as enterprises scale AI applications. As AI-driven customer engagement becomes more prevalent, Bandwidth is likely to see increased demand for its platform and network services.

However, Bandwidth operates in a highly competitive CPaaS market where larger competitors have broader global reach and established enterprise relationships. These competitors can bundle services and respond quickly to technological shifts, which can limit Bandwidth’s pricing power and customer acquisition. While the company is expanding internationally, competitors remain ahead in global scale, which could constrain market share gains over time. Bandwidth’s pricing and billing systems remain complex and rely on third-party components. This complexity can lead to inconsistencies and challenges in implementation, particularly as usage scales across multiple services and geographies. The need to align pricing with competitive offerings and evolving market dynamics adds further difficulty, which can adversely impact margins and customer experience.

How Do Zacks Estimates Compare for GLW & BAND?The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Corning’s 2026 sales implies a year-over-year rise of 13.9%, while that for EPS indicates growth of 26.6%. EPS estimates have remained static at $3.19 per share over the past 60 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Bandwidth’s 2026 sales suggests year-over-year growth of 18.3%, while that for EPS implies a rise of 25.2%. The EPS estimates have remained stable at $1.79 over the past 60 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Price Performance & Valuation of GLW & BANDOver the past year, Corning has surged 252.7% compared with the industry’s growth of 287%. Bandwidth has gained 322% over the same period.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Corning looks more expensive compared to Bandwidth from a valuation standpoint. Going by the price/sales ratio, Corning’s shares currently trade at 7.91 forward sales, significantly higher than 2.41 for Bandwidth.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

GLW or BAND: Which is a Better Pick?Corning carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) while Bandwidth carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Both companies expect their sales and earnings to improve in 2026. In terms of price performance, Bandwidth has outperformed Corning and is trading relatively cheaply compared with the latter. However, with exposure to long-term trends (data centers, telecom infrastructure and advanced glass) and a solid Zacks Rank, GLW currently appears to be a better investment option at the moment.

Corning Inc. GLW shares fell more than 4% on Tuesday, extending a sharp pullback as investors continued to sell artificial intelligence-related stocks despite analysts maintaining a positive long-term outlook on the glass and optical networking company.

The stock dropped 5.4% to $184.33 and was on track for its fifth consecutive daily decline.

Over the current four-day losing streak, Corning shares have fallen about 24%, erasing approximately $52.4 billion in market value as semiconductor and AI infrastructure stocks came under broad selling pressure.

Despite the recent weakness, the stock remains up 105% in 2026 and has gained 256% over the past 12 months, reflecting investor optimism surrounding AI-driven demand for optical networking products.

Oppenheimer analyst Martin Yang raised his price target on Corning to $230 from $210 while maintaining an Outperform rating.

“We view the AI-infrastructure unwind as an attractive entry point into GLW’s attractive long-term growth story,” Yang wrote.

Yang said Corning remains well positioned to benefit from near- and medium-term growth drivers as customers continue increasing capital spending on optical fiber infrastructure to support generative AI applications.

Bank of America also maintained a positive outlook on the company. Analysts led by Wamsi Mohan raised their price target to $243 from $223 and reiterated a Buy rating.

“We expect the quarter to reinforce that optical demand remains firm,” Mohan wrote.

According to the brokerage, investors are focused on whether Corning's optical networking business can sustain growth beyond the near term as the company prepares to report second-quarter earnings.

UBS also reaffirmed its Buy rating and increased confidence in the company's long-term growth outlook, setting a $228 price target.

AI infrastructure remains central to growth strategyCorning has increasingly been viewed as a beneficiary of expanding AI infrastructure investment because of its products for optical networking, telecommunications and semiconductor applications.

The company manufactures glass used in notebook computers, desktop monitors and televisions, while also supplying optical materials and networking products used across data centers.

Corning has promoted its Corning GlassWorks AI Solutions platform as a comprehensive portfolio covering optical connections throughout AI infrastructure, from data centers to chips and long-distance network links.

Several major technology companies have recently expanded partnerships with Corning.

In June, the company announced a multibillion-dollar agreement with Amazon to manufacture optical fiber for data centers. Earlier this year, Nvidia committed an investment worth up to $3.2 billion to expand Corning's optical networking manufacturing capacity in Texas and North Carolina.

Corning also secured a $6 billion agreement in January to supply Meta Platforms with cabling, optical fiber and connectivity products for data centers.

UBS said Corning's recent investor day strengthened confidence in the company's long-term financial targets.

The company increased its 2028 sales forecast by approximately 25% to nearly $30 billion and outlined a framework to reach $40 billion in annual sales by 2030.

UBS noted that the updated 2028 outlook was roughly 10% above previous expectations.

The brokerage raised its 2028 adjusted earnings per share estimate by 15% to $6.70 and introduced a 2030 EPS estimate of about $9.80.

The analyst cited stronger confidence in scale-out fiber demand, with Corning expecting fiber growth of 1.3 to 1.5 times the rate of GPU and ASIC growth.

UBS also highlighted the company's expanding Photonics business, which Corning expects to generate approximately $10 billion in incremental sales by 2030, supported by long-term customer agreements and Nvidia's previously announced investment.

Key Takeaways Corning is expanding its automotive footprint with advanced glass and ceramic technologies.GLW's materials support lighter vehicles, safer designs and advanced in-vehicle displays.Corning supplies durable glass for ADAS sensors and ceramics that help reduce vehicle emissions. Corning Incorporated (GLW - Free Report) , a leading materials science company, is strengthening its footprint in the automotive sector through its advanced glass and ceramic technologies. Its innovative materials help automakers develop lighter, safer and more efficient vehicles while supporting the growing adoption of electric, connected and autonomous vehicle technologies.

Corning offers a wide range of products for the automotive industry, including Gorilla Glass for vehicle displays, lightweight windshields and windows, and specialty glass for digital instrument clusters, infotainment systems and head-up displays. These solutions are durable, scratch-resistant and lightweight, helping improve the driving experience while reducing vehicle weight.

The company supports advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) by providing durable glass that protects cameras and sensors used in modern vehicles. It manufactures ceramic substrates and particulate filters that help vehicles reduce emissions and comply with environmental standards. Corning is also expanding its portfolio of larger, higher-resolution automotive displays to meet the growing demand for advanced in-vehicle technologies.

How Are Competitors Advancing in the Automotive Sector?Corning faces competition from Amphenol Corporation (APH - Free Report) and Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV - Free Report) . Amphenol is expanding its automotive portfolio with connectors, sensors and connectivity solutions for modern vehicles. The company works with automakers and suppliers to provide reliable solutions for next-generation vehicles.

Viavi is strengthening its automotive business with optical technologies for modern vehicles. The company provides solutions for LiDAR, driver monitoring and ADAS. Viavi’s optical technologies help improve the performance and reliability of sensing systems used in modern vehicles.

Corning's Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesShares of Corning have rallied 254.5% over the past year compared with the industry’s growth of 305.2%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation standpoint, the company’s shares currently trade at 52.42 forward 12-month earnings, higher than the industry tally of 43.95.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Earnings estimates for Corning for 2026 have remained static at $3.19, while the same for 2027 have risen 1.5% to $4.21 over the past 60 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Corning currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both.

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What are the Zacks Style Scores? Developed alongside the Zacks Rank, the Zacks Style Scores are a group of complementary indicators that help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics, each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F. The better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform; an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreFinding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreGrowth investors, on the other hand, are more concerned with a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score examines things like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will experience sustainable growth over time.

Momentum ScoreMomentum investors, who live by the saying "the trend is your friend," are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks.

VGM ScoreIf you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank A proprietary stock-rating model, the Zacks Rank utilizes the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings outlook, to help investors create a successful portfolio.

It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +23.94% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

This totals more than 800 top-rated stocks, and it can be overwhelming to try and pick the best stocks for you and your portfolio.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only has a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible.

As mentioned above, the Scores are designed to work with the Zacks Rank, so any change to a company's earnings outlook should be a deciding factor when picking which stocks to buy.

A stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, for instance, even one with Scores of A and B, will still have a declining earnings forecast, and a greater chance its share price will fall too.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Corning (GLW - Free Report) New York-based Corning Incorporated started out as a glass business that was reincorporated in 1936. The company has since developed its glass technologies to produce advanced glass substrates that are used in a large number of applications across multiple markets. Corning reports results under five operating segments following changes to its reporting structure in the first quarter of 2026.

GLW is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B.

Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. GLW has a Growth Style Score of B, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 26.6% for the current fiscal year.

For fiscal 2026, three analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.02 to $3.19 per share. GLW boasts an average earnings surprise of +2.4%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, GLW should be on investors' short list.

Key Takeaways Corning is benefiting from AI-driven demand, new Amazon and Meta agreements, and margin expansion.GLW introduced Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 as semiconductor optics and premium glass demand stayed strong.GLW faces consumer electronics cyclicality, stronger competition and China-related trade uncertainty. Corning Incorporated (GLW - Free Report) has gained 318.5% in a year compared with the communications components industry’s growth of 394.3%. The stock has outperformed the S&P 500’s growth during this period.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

It has outperformed its competitors, such as Coherent (COHR - Free Report) and Amphenol Corporation (APH - Free Report) . Coherent has surged 317.2%, while Amphenol has gained 74.8%.

GLW Rides on Strength in Multiple Segments, Margin ExpansionCorning is witnessing healthy traction in the Specialty Materials segment, backed by strong demand for premium smartphone cover glass. Despite some weakness, demand for premium Gorilla Glass products remains resilient. In the first quarter of 2026, the company introduced Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3. Leading smartphone manufacturer Motorola has already opted to deploy the solution in its premium smartphone.

The Semiconductor vertical is emerging as another major growth catalyst. Corning supplies advanced optical components used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, particularly EUV lithography systems. AI expansion is driving demand for advanced chips. Semiconductor manufacturers are expanding production capacity to support the growing demand. This is driving demand for Corning’s leading-edge optics.

Corning recently inked a multi-year supply agreement with Amazon. Per the deal, the company is set to supply optical fiber, cable and connectivity solutions to support Amazon Web Services' growing network of AI data centers across the United States. Earlier this year, Corning secured a multi-year agreement with Meta to support the latter’s AI infrastructure expansion. These partnerships highlight the increasing demand for Corning's advanced optical technologies and its growing capability among hyperscalers.

Corning reported a 20.2% core operating margin in the first quarter of 2026, up 220 basis points from the year-ago quarter. Since the launch of the Springboard plan in the fourth quarter of 2023, Corning has expanded its core operating margin by 390 basis points. Core EPS was up 30% year over year, outpacing the 18% year over year revenue growth rate. Along with strong demand, productivity improvement across operations led to strong improvement in profitability.

Growing Competition and Cyclicality in Consumer Electronics Are WeaknessesCorning’s glass innovation segment continues to be affected by the cyclical nature of the consumer electronics market. Higher memory prices will likely impact smartphone demand during 2026. This may affect demand for the GLW premium Gorilla Glass products.

The substantial growth in the AI networking market is driving global fiber-optic manufacturers to expand their portfolio offerings. Growing competition from other major players, such as Amphenol and Coherent, is weighing on margins to some extent.

Corning maintains a sizeable presence in China, which exposes the company to geopolitical tensions and tariff-related uncertainty. The Display and consumer electronics businesses remain dependent on Chinese panel makers and manufacturing ecosystems. Escalating trade restrictions, tariff increases or supply-chain disruptions between the United States and China could adversely affect operating margins.

Estimate Revision TrendEarnings estimates for Corning for 2026 and 2027 have increased over the past 60 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Key Valuation Metric of GLWFrom a valuation standpoint, GLW is currently trading at a premium compared with the industry. Going by the price/earnings ratio, the company’s shares currently trade at 59.6 forward 12-month earnings, higher than 58.74 for the industry.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

End NoteMassive hyperscaler demand for fiber, cable and connectivity solutions is a major growth driver for Corning. Rising AI chip production increases demand for advanced optical materials. This is also a major revenue driver. Growing customer base and collaboration with industry leaders such as META and Amazon bode well for sustainable growth. Focus on improving productivity is driving profitability. However, volatility in the consumer electronics market, growing competition in the AI networking space are concerning. Heavy reliance on Chinese panel makers makes it vulnerable to growing trade uncertainty and geopolitical tensions between China and the United States. With a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), Corning appears to be treading in the middle of the road, and investors could be better off if they trade with caution. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Corning's (NYSE:GLW | GLW Price Prediction) 13.6% single-day drop is being looked at as a crack in the AI fiber thesis by many.

Shares of Corning, Inc. (GLW) up 5,378% since 1991’s first outlier institutional inflow.

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GLW is a materials company focused on glass for computers, industrial applications, and fiber optic cables for AI data centers. GLW’s first-quarter fiscal 2026 report showed revenue of $4.35 billion (an 18% year-over-year gain), quarterly per-share earnings of $0.70 (a 30% gain), and a 2026 second-quarter outlook of up to $4.6 billion in revenue (a 14% jump) and $0.77 in EPS (a 25% gain).

No wonder GLW shares are up 192% this year – and they could rise more. MoneyFlows data shows how Big Money investors are again betting heavily on the stock.

Institutions Love Corning Institutional volumes reveal plenty. In the last year, GLW has enjoyed strong investor demand, which we believe to be institutional support.

Each green bar signals unusually large volumes in GLW shares. They reflect our proprietary inflow signal, pushing the stock higher:

Source: www.moneyflows.com Plenty of materials names are under accumulation right now. But there’s a powerful fundamental story happening with Corning.

Corning Fundamental Analysis Institutional support and a healthy fundamental backdrop make this company worth investigating. As you can see, GLW has had strong sales and earnings growth:

1-year sales growth rate (+19%) 3-year EPS growth rate (+48.4%) Source: FactSet

Also, EPS is estimated to ramp higher this year by +32%.

Now it makes sense why the stock has been generating Big Money interest. GLW has a track record of strong financial performance.

Marrying great fundamentals with MoneyFlows software has found some big winning stocks over the long term.

Corning has been a top-rated stock at MoneyFlows for years. That means the stock has unusual buy pressure and growing fundamentals. We have a ranking process that showcases stocks like this on a weekly basis.

It made the rare Outlier 20 inflow report seven times in the last year, gaining 385.7%. The blue bars below show when GLW was a top pick…institutions keep buying:

Source: www.moneyflows.com Tracking unusual volumes reveals the power of money flows.

This is a trait that most outlier stocks exhibit…the best of the best. Big Money demand drives stocks upward.

Corning Price Prediction The GLW action isn’t new at all. Big Money buying in the shares is signaling to take notice. Given the historical gains in share price and strong fundamentals, this stock could be worth a spot in a diversified portfolio.

Disclosure: the author holds no position in GLW at the time of publication.

If you are a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) or are a serious investor, take your investing to the next level and follow our free weekly MoneyFlows insights.

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Lucas is a well-versed equity investor and educator. He currently is co-founder of research and analytics firm, MAPsignals.com, which focuses on finding outlier stocks by following the Big Money.

Corning stock price continued its strong bull run, making it one of the best-performing companies on Wall Street. GLW jumped to a record high of $255.70, up by 190% this year, with its market capitalization rising to over $220 billion.

Corning, a top technology company, has been one of the most essential players in the booming artificial intelligence industry.

This transition has helped it move from the glass industry it is well-known for. It has announced major deals with companies like Meta Platforms, Nvidia, and Amazon.

Corning will offer fibre and connectivity products to Meta Platforms in a deal worth over $6 billion. It also entered major multi-billion-dollar deals with companies like NVIDIA and Amazon. Its partnership with Nvidia is expected to create over 3,000 jobs in the United States.

These developments are aligning with its Springboard growth strategy, citing demand from its AI infrastructure, which will push it s annual revenue run rate to over $20 billion in the long term.

The main concern about Corning is that it has become highly overbought despite the ongoing demand for its products. Data shows that the forward price-to-earnings ratio rose to 69, much higher than the sector median of 23. Its multiple is also higher than the five-year average of 22.5. 

The forward EV-to-EBITDA multiple has jumped to 10.5, which is also higher than the sector median of 19.

These numbers are much higher than those of some of the fastest-growing companies in the US. For example, despite its strong revenue growth, Micron has a forward price-to-earnings ratio of just 15, while Nvidia has 22.

Analysts predict that Corning’s revenue growth will not be all that great in the coming years. For example, the average estimate among analysts is that revenue will jump by 15.4% this year to $18.8 billion, followed by $22.5 billion in the next financial year.

Therefore, these numbers mean that the company will need to report strong revenue and profitability growth in the coming quarters to justify the high valuation multiples.

Corning stock chart | Source: TradingView Technicals are also sending a red flag for the stock. As the chart shows, the stock has become highly overbought, with the Relative Strength Index (RSI) moving to 79, its highest point since February 23rd. 

It has also started to form a bearish divergence pattern, which happens when the stock’s price is rising, while the RSI has formed a descending channel.

The stock has also deviated substantially from the historical averages, with the 100-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) being at $99, much lower than the current $255.

READ MORE: Corning surges to record high: is the AI boom just beginning?

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[url="]Corning Incorporated's[/url] (NYSE: GLW) Board of Directors today declared a quarterly dividend of $0.28 per share. The dividend will be payable on Sept

CORNING, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Corning Incorporated’s (NYSE: GLW) Board of Directors today declared a quarterly dividend of $0.28 per share. The dividend will be payable on September 29, 2026, to shareholders of record on August 31, 2026.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
The statements contained in this release and related comments by management that are not historical facts or information and contain words such as “will,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “see,” “would,” “target,” “estimate,” “forecast” or similar expressions are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and include estimates and assumptions related to economic, competitive and legislative developments. Such statements relate to future events that by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the Company’s Springboard plan, projected financial and operating performance, anticipated sales opportunities, long-term growth strategy, expected capital deployment, innovation and commercialization plans, and anticipated impacts of customer agreements.

Although the company believes that these forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions regarding, among other things, current estimates and forecasts, general economic conditions, its knowledge of its business and key performance indicators that impact the company, there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management’s estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws.

Some of the risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: global economic trends, competition and geopolitical risks, or an escalation of sanctions, tariffs or other trade tensions between the U.S. and other countries, and related impacts on our businesses’ global supply chains and strategies; changes in macroeconomic and market conditions and market volatility, including developments and volatility arising from health crisis events, inflation, interest rates, the value of securities and other financial assets, precious metals, oil, natural gas, raw materials and other commodity prices and exchange rates (particularly between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen, South Korean won, Chinese yuan, New Taiwan dollar, Mexican peso and euro), decreases or sudden increases of consumer demand, and the impact of such changes and volatility on our financial position and businesses; the availability of or adverse changes relating to government grants, tax credits or other government incentives; the duration and severity of health crisis events, such as an epidemic or pandemic, and its impact across our businesses on demand, personnel, operations, our global supply chains and stock price; possible disruption in commercial activities or our supply chain due to terrorist activity, cyber-attack, armed conflict, political or financial instability, natural disasters, international trade disputes or major health concerns; loss of intellectual property due to theft, cyber-attack, or disruption to our information technology infrastructure; ability to enforce patents and protect intellectual property and trade secrets; disruption to Corning’s, our suppliers’ and manufacturers’ supply chain, equipment, facilities, IT systems or operations; product demand and industry capacity; competitive products and pricing; availability and costs of critical components, materials, equipment, natural resources and utilities; new product development and commercialization; our solar business development, including manufacturing facility construction, ramp, and operations, and the achievement of solar revenue and profitability targets; order activity and demand from major customers; the amount and timing of our cash flows and earnings and other conditions, which may affect our ability to pay our quarterly dividend at the planned level or to repurchase shares at planned levels; the amount and timing of any future dividends; the effects of acquisitions, dispositions and other similar transactions; the effect of regulatory and legal developments; ability to pace capital spending to anticipated levels of customer demand; our ability to increase margins through implementation of operational changes, pricing actions and cost reduction measures; rate of technology change; adverse litigation; product and component performance issues; retention of key personnel; customer ability to maintain profitable operations and obtain financing to fund ongoing operations and manufacturing expansions and pay receivables when due; loss of significant customers; changes in tax laws, regulations and international tax standards; the impacts of audits by taxing authorities; the potential impact of legislation, government regulations, and other government action and investigations; and other risks detailed in Corning’s SEC filings.

For a complete listing of risks and other factors, please reference the risk factors and forward-looking statements described in our annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

Web Disclosure
In accordance with guidance provided by the SEC regarding the use of company websites and social media channels to disclose material information, Corning Incorporated (“Corning”) wishes to notify investors, media, and other interested parties that it uses its website (https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/about-us/news-events.html) to publish important information about the company, including information that may be deemed material to investors, or supplemental to information contained in this or other press releases. The list of websites and social media channels that the company uses may be updated on Corning’s media and website from time to time. Corning encourages investors, media, and other interested parties to review the information Corning may publish through its website and social media channels as described above, in addition to the company’s SEC filings, press releases, conference calls, and webcasts.

About Corning Incorporated
Corning (www.corning.com) is one of the world’s leading innovators in materials science, with a 175-year track record of life-changing inventions. Corning applies its unparalleled expertise in glass science, ceramic science, and optical physics, along with its deep manufacturing and engineering capabilities to develop category-defining products that transform industries and enhance people’s lives. Corning succeeds through sustained investment in RD&E, a unique combination of material and process innovation, and deep, trust-based relationships with customers who are global leaders in their industries. Corning’s capabilities are versatile and synergistic, which allows the company to evolve to meet changing market needs, while also helping its customers capture new opportunities in dynamic industries. Today, Corning’s markets include optical communications, mobile consumer electronics, display, automotive, solar, semiconductors, and life sciences.

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Joshua Brown, co-founder and CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, recommended MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTSI).

Lending support to his choice, Barclays analyst Tom O’Malley maintained MACOM with an Overweight rating on May 22 and raised the price target from $400 to $450.

MACOM Technology reported better-than-expected second-quarter financial results on May 7 and issued third-quarter guidance above estimates.

Price Action:

Corning shares jumped 11.1% to close at $194.92 on Thursday. MACOM rose 6.6% to settle at $391.41 during the session. Photo via Shutterstock

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Key Takeaways Corning lifted Q1 2026 core operating margin to 20.2%, up 220 basis points year over year.Corning's Optical Communications revenue rose 36% on data-center and GenAI demand.GLW's 2026 and 2027 earnings estimates have increased over the past 60 days. Corning Incorporated (GLW - Free Report) reported a 20.2% core operating margin in the first quarter of 2026, up 220 basis points from the year-ago quarter. Since the launch of the Springboard plan in the fourth quarter of 2023, Corning has expanded its core operating margin by 390 basis points. Core gross margin expanded 120 basis points to 39.1%, while core EPS was up 30% year over year. This outpaced 18% year over year revenue growth, indicating strong operating leverage.

There are several factors driving this strong and consistent improvement in profitability. Optical Communications remains Corning’s biggest growth engine. Strong hyperscale data-center investments and growing demand for GenAI networking infrastructure led to a 36% year over year growth in revenue in this segment. Along with strong demand, productivity improvement across operations led to 93% growth in net income in this segment.

Its solar business is also scaling rapidly. Despite declining net income in recent quarters due to wafer-ramp inefficiencies and startup costs, the profitability in solar business is projected to improve in upcoming quarters. The company is steadily optimizing its portfolio and gradually shifting its focus towards higher-growth, higher-value products to enhance overall profitability.

How Are Competitors Faring?Corning faces competition from Amphenol Corporation (APH - Free Report) and Ciena Corporation (CIEN - Free Report) . Despite acquisition-related costs, Amphenol generated an adjusted operating margin of 27.3% in the first quarter, expanding 380 basis points year over year. Communications Solutions remained the largest contributor. Amphenol generated net sales of $4.53 billion in the first quarter from this segment. The segment also produced an operating margin of 30.6%, pointing to strong mix and execution as demand accelerated in high-technology connectivity applications.

Ciena’s profitability improved sharply during the quarter. Adjusted gross margin expanded 390 basis points year over year to 44.9%, supported by a favorable product mix and operating execution. Adjusted operating margin increased to 19.5% from 8.2% in the prior-year period. Adjusted operating expenses were $397.8 million, up 7.7% year over year. Despite higher spending, Ciena generated substantial operating leverage as revenue growth significantly outpaced expense growth.

Corning's Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesGLW’s shares have gained 305.1% compared to the communications components industry’s growth of 325.6%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation standpoint, the company’s shares currently trade at 57.3X forward 12-month earnings, higher than the industry.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Earnings estimates for Corning for 2026 and 2027 have increased over the past 60 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Corning currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Amazon's investments will help Corning expand its manufacturing sites across North Carolina and create 1,000 jobs at the facilities.

Amazon.com said it entered a multibillion-dollar agreement with Corning to get optical fiber, cable and connectivity solutions to support its growing data center footprint.

Shares of Corning GLW climbed sharply by 8% on Monday after Amazon unveiled a multibillion-dollar agreement with the advanced glass and fiber-optics manufacturer.

The deal will see Corning supply critical networking infrastructure for the technology giant's expanding US data center footprint.

The long-term partnership will see Corning provide optical fiber, cable, and connectivity solutions that support Amazon's expanding cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure.

The companies said the investment will also create 1,000 jobs at Corning's manufacturing facilities in North Carolina.

The announcement comes as demand for AI computing power continues to drive large-scale investments in data centers, increasing the importance of high-speed networking equipment that links servers, storage systems, and AI chips.

"Amazon's data centers power the services millions of people and businesses rely on every day," the companies said in a joint statement.

"Corning's fiber optics are a critical piece of that infrastructure, and together, these investments help fuel the US economic engine."

Corning's optical communications business has emerged as a major beneficiary of the AI boom.

As hyperscale cloud providers and AI companies build larger and more complex data centers, demand has risen for fiber-optic solutions capable of transmitting vast amounts of data at high speeds.

Fiber-optic cables have become a foundational component of AI infrastructure because they connect data centers and enable communication between the racks and processors handling intensive AI workloads.

The Amazon deal provides another boost to Corning, which has increasingly positioned itself as a key supplier to the AI ecosystem.

The company's shares have more than doubled this year and have risen nearly sixfold since the end of 2023 as investors bet on sustained spending across the AI supply chain.

The stock was also among the companies hit during Friday's broad selloff in semiconductor and AI-related names.

Corning shares had fallen more than 10% amid concerns that higher interest rates could slow the debt-funded expansion of data center projects.

The latest agreement adds to a string of AI-related commitments benefiting Corning.

In May, Nvidia committed to invest up to $3.2 billion in Corning through a partnership that includes the construction of three advanced manufacturing facilities dedicated to supporting the chipmaker's operations.

Earlier this year, Meta pledged up to $6 billion as the anchor customer for an expansion of Corning's optical cable plant in Hickory, North Carolina.

That project is expected to generate approximately 1,000 jobs.

Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman said the company's investments in North Carolina have already created more than 26,000 jobs.

Amazon separately committed $10 billion last year toward new data center developments in the state.

The new agreement will also expand Corning's training program for fiber-optic technicians in North Carolina, helping develop a workforce needed to support growing infrastructure demand.

While Corning is widely recognized for producing display glass used in Apple's iPhones, optical communications remains its largest and fastest-growing business segment.

The company, which invented optical fiber for long-distance communications in 1970, now supplies millions of miles of fiber-optic cable used by major cloud providers and AI companies worldwide.

The partnership also aligns with efforts by the Trump administration to strengthen domestic AI-related manufacturing and reduce dependence on overseas supply chains.

"This agreement with Amazon represents a significant milestone for Corning and for American manufacturing," Chief Executive Wendell Weeks said.

He added that the partnership will help "lead the way toward building a resilient US manufacturing base."

Weeks previously said that hyperscale cloud companies are on track to become Corning's largest customer group as AI infrastructure spending accelerates.

Intel (INTC) surges as Google and Nvidia consider it for advanced AI chip manufacturing, with Google reportedly ordering over 3M TPUs for 2028. Corning (GLW) rallies on a multiyear fiber-optic deal with Amazon to support U.S. datacenter growth and supply chain resilience.

Corning GLW shares jumped 9.5% in premarket trading Monday after Amazon AMZN signed a multi-year, multi-billion dollar agreement with the company to expand U.S.-based fiber optics manufacturing. Amazon also edged 1% higher before the open, as investors weighed another infrastructure-heavy move tied to the data-center buildout.

The deal puts Corning deeper into one of the most important bottlenecks of the AI era: the physical fiber needed to connect data centers at scale. Under the agreement, Corning will produce optical fiber for data centers and help strengthen the U.S. supply chain. The companies said the pact will create 1,000 jobs at Corning's North Carolina facilities, support hundreds of construction jobs, and include a workforce training program for fiber optics and fusion splicing.

For investors, this could be a reminder that the AI trade is not only about GPUs, chips, or cloud platforms. It is also about the quiet infrastructure layer underneath them. The agreement comes on top of Amazon's 2025 plan to invest $10 billion in North Carolina, after more than $20 billion already invested in the state since 2010. Corning shares have gained more than 95% year-to-date, and Monday's premarket reaction suggests investors may be paying closer attention to its role in the data-center supply chain.

On Monday, Amazon (AMZN 1.24%) handed an old-line glassmaker one of its biggest endorsements yet in the AI build-out. The cloud and e-commerce giant announced a multiyear, multibillion-dollar agreement to buy the optical fiber and connectivity that will wire its expanding U.S. data centers from Corning (GLW +1.89%) -- a deal expected to create 1,000 manufacturing jobs at the company's North Carolina plants. Shares of the 175-year-old glassmaker jumped as much as 10% on the news.

Lately, that kind of headline has become routine, even as most of the AI spotlight stays on the chipmakers. Corning was founded in 1851 and has made the glass for everything from Thomas Edison's early lightbulbs to the iPhone. Now its fiber -- the strands that shuttle data between the thousands of chips inside an AI data center -- has turned it into one of the quieter beneficiaries of the spending wave. And the stock has more than doubled this year, rising 114%.

So, is there still a case for the shares after a run like that?

Image source: Getty Images.

A string of hyperscale wins The Amazon agreement isn't a one-off. In January, Meta Platforms agreed to buy up to $6 billion of optical solutions from Corning over several years for its own AI data centers. Then, in May, Nvidia named Corning its optical partner for next-generation AI infrastructure -- a multiyear deal under which Corning will expand its U.S. optical connectivity capacity tenfold and build three new plants in North Carolina and Texas. Nvidia is putting $500 million behind the partnership and holds warrants that could lift its total investment to as much as $3.2 billion.

Moving data inside an AI data center over glass rather than copper is faster and uses less power, and the number of connections required keeps climbing as these clusters grow. And Corning's newest product, Multicore Fiber, packs four light-carrying cores into one strand -- four times the density of a standard single-core line -- which the company says lets data center operators get the same capacity with up to 75% fewer connectors.

Highlighting the company's momentum in this AI build-out, Corning's optical communications sales rose 36% year over year in Q1 to about $1.85 billion -- an acceleration from 24% growth in the fourth quarter of 2025. It was the company's eighth straight quarter of year-over-year growth.

In the company's first-quarter earnings call, CEO Wendell Weeks said the wave of new agreements is driving "expansion across all of our major optical operations, including expanding our fiber operations."

Further, at a May investor event, Corning extended its long-range plan and is targeting a $40 billion annualized sales run rate by the end of 2030 -- up from a $20 billion annualized sales run rate it expects to reach by the end of 2026.

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A high price to pay All of this momentum has led to a strong business. First-quarter core earnings per share -- the company's non-GAAP (adjusted) measure -- grew 30% year over year, and core operating margin reached 20.2%, a level the company hit a full year ahead of its own schedule. And for all of 2025, adjusted earnings per share grew 29%.

What gives me pause, however, is what investors are now paying for that growth. After more than doubling in 2026, Corning trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of about 90 as of this writing -- a rich multiple that arguably already assumes years of similarly strong growth.

And there are reasons for caution beyond the valuation. First, the financial terms of the Amazon and Nvidia agreements weren't disclosed, so the revenue and timing remain unclear. Additionally, Corning's fortunes are increasingly tied to a single, capital-intensive cycle -- hyperscalers' AI spending. While it doesn't look like this build-out will slow anytime soon, investors shouldn't rule out the possibility of a surprise slowdown.

Still, a small position here could make sense. Because just as investors should acknowledge the risks, there's also the possibility that the AI build-out runs hotter and longer than expected. For investors willing to venture into the optical side of the AI trade rather than the chips, Corning is arguably a solid investment idea, albeit a risky one given the stock's high valuation.

Corning Today

$179.85 +3.30 (+1.87%)

As of 03:59 PM Eastern

This is a fair market value price provided by Massive. Learn more.

52-Week Range$49.47▼

$211.79Dividend Yield0.62%

P/E Ratio86.05

Price Target$178.31

The recent multibillion-dollar infrastructure pact between Amazon NASDAQ: AMZN and Corning NYSE: GLW cements a structural shift in hardware for artificial intelligence. The physical transmission limits of copper have been breached, mandating dense optical fiber for next-generation compute clusters.

While semiconductor allocations dominate capital market attention, the underlying optical networking backbone presents a highly visible, multi-year infrastructure play driven by an accelerating hyperscaler arms race. Corning is no longer a legacy materials supplier; it is a direct beneficiary of AI’s insatiable demand for bandwidth, emerging as a premier non-chip infrastructure asset.

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NVIDIA's Green Light for GlassFor years, copper twinax cables were the workhorse of the data center, connecting servers and switches within the rack. That era is definitively ending. The rollout of advanced AI accelerators from chip designers like NVIDIA NASDAQ: NVDA has created a fundamental bottleneck. These new platforms, operating at networking speeds of 800 gigabits per second (800G) and now pushing toward 1.6 terabits per second (1.6T), generate so much data and heat that copper-based interconnects are becoming technically and thermally obsolete. The physics are unforgiving; at these speeds, signal degradation over copper is too severe, and the power required creates unmanageable heat loads within high-density server racks.

This technical barrier is forcing a paradigm shift. Data center architects are now compelled to adopt optical fiber, not just between data centers, but directly inside the rack to connect GPUs and switches. This is not an incremental upgrade; it is a wholesale replacement of the data center’s central nervous system. This copper-to-glass inflection point creates a powerful secular tailwind for Corning, the primary manufacturer of high-grade optical fiber, cable, and connectivity solutions.

The Billion-Dollar Domino EffectA single contract, while significant, can be an anomaly. A pattern of contracts signals a structural trend. Over the last six months, Corning has methodically secured a series of multi-year, multibillion-dollar agreements that confirm an industry-wide re-platforming toward optical solutions.

The timeline establishes the momentum:

January 2026: Meta Platforms NASDAQ: META committed to a multi-year deal worth up to $6 billion for optical solutions to accelerate its U.S. data center buildout.

April 2026: Corning disclosed two additional, similarly sized long-term agreements with unnamed hyperscale customers during its Q1 earnings report.

May 2026: NVIDIA announced a strategic partnership to co-develop next-generation optical interconnects, with Corning committing to a tenfold expansion of its U.S. manufacturing capacity.

June 2026: Amazon announced its own multi-billion-dollar pact, reinforcing the trend and adding another pillar of demand.

These back-to-back commitments from the world’s largest cloud and AI players provide unprecedented revenue visibility for Corning’s Optical Communications segment. The agreements are not just purchase orders; they are long-term partnerships that include Corning's commitments to build three new manufacturing facilities and expand existing ones in North Carolina. This onshoring of the supply chain de-risks execution for its customers and locks in a pipeline of demand for years, insulating Corning from short-term macroeconomic cycles.

How Sales Growth Is Igniting MarginsThe financial impact of this demand surge is already materializing. In its first-quarter 2026 earnings report, Corning’s Optical Communications segment posted a 36% year-over-year revenue increase. More importantly, this top-line growth is translating into significant operating leverage.

The segment’s profitability expanded sharply, with operating margins widening by 410 basis points. This demonstrates that as factory utilization scales to meet the new hyperscaler demand, each incremental dollar of revenue becomes more profitable.

This dynamic is critical to understanding Corning’s current valuation. While a trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 80 may appear stretched, it fails to account for the aggressive upward revisions to future earnings. Analysts now project rapid earnings-per-share (EPS) growth, which is compressing the forward P/E to a more reasonable 52. The market is pricing in margin expansion expected to accelerate as Corning’s new, highly automated manufacturing facilities come online to serve its backlog.

Is It Too Late to Invest? Smart Money Says No.After an almost 100% year-to-date run, some investors may point to valuation concerns and recent insider selling as reasons for caution. Throughout May, several top executives sold over $28 million in stock. While such moves warrant scrutiny, they appear to be standard profit-taking following a period of extreme outperformance rather than a signal of weakening fundamentals.

Overall MarketRank™70th Percentile

Analyst RatingModerate Buy

Upside/Downside1.0% Downside

Short Interest LevelHealthy

Dividend StrengthWeak

News Sentiment1.06 Insider TradingSelling Shares

Proj. Earnings Growth31.03%

See Full Analysis

The more telling data point is the market’s reaction. The supply from these executive sales was readily absorbed by large institutional buyers, who increased their positions during the same period that C-Suite executives were selling. This institutional accumulation suggests that long-term asset managers are using any available liquidity to build strategic stakes, validating the long-term thesis.

Furthermore, Corning's dividend profile adds a layer of stability. The dividend remains well-supported, consuming around 28% of Corning's free cash flow. This conservative payout ratio provides a strong foundation and leaves ample capacity for future dividend growth and share repurchases.

Given the structural tailwinds from the AI infrastructure buildout and clear execution, Corning is positioned as a key enabler of the next generation of computing. Corning's recent volatility reflects a market digesting a rapid repricing, but the underlying fundamentals continue to strengthen. For investors seeking exposure to the physical backbone of the AI revolution, Corning’s role appears increasingly indispensable.

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