Ciena's earnings call reflects a positive outlook with record-breaking revenue and strong growth in cloud and AI segments. However, the call also highlighted challenges in gross margin due to supply chain issues and inventory management. Despite these challenges, the company's confident in its future growth prospects.

Company Guidance

In the Ciena Q4 2024 earnings call, the company provided robust guidance for fiscal year 2025, projecting revenue growth of 8% to 11%, driven by strong market dynamics, including cloud and AI trends. They reported Q4 revenue of $1.12 billion with a book-to-bill ratio above one for the second half of fiscal 2024, leading to a $2.1 billion backlog. The adjusted gross margin was 41.6%, affected by a $39 million charge for excess and obsolescence. Looking ahead, Ciena expects gross margins to range from 42% to 44% for fiscal 2025, with a focus on leveraging their industry-leading optical technology. They anticipate operating expenses to average between $350 million to $360 million per quarter. The company also announced a $1 billion share repurchase plan over the next three fiscal years, reflecting confidence in their long-term strategy and market positioning.

Record Revenue for Q4

Ciena reported strong fiscal fourth quarter results with revenue of $1.12 billion, marking a significant achievement for the company.

WaveLogic 6 Extreme Launch

Ciena launched the WaveLogic 6 Extreme, becoming the only provider of 1.6 terabit capable coherent modems, further extending its technology leadership.

Growth in Cloud and AI Segment

Strong momentum seen in cloud and AI segments with major infrastructure projects by cloud providers, supporting the growth of AI and data traffic.

Strong Cash Flow and Share Repurchase

Ciena generated $349 million in cash from operations in Q4 and completed a $1 billion share repurchase program.

Positive Long-Term Revenue Growth Outlook

Ciena expects average annual revenue growth of 8% to 11% over the next three years, driven by investments in cloud and AI.

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Ciena (CIEN) Earnings, Revenues Date & History

The upcoming earnings date is based on a company’s previous reporting, and may be updated when the actual date is announced

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CIEN Earnings History

Report Date	Fiscal Quarter	Forecast / EPS	Last Year's EPS	EPS YoY Change	Slides	Play Transcript
Mar 06, 2025	2025 (Q1)	0.42 / -	0.66	―	―	―
Dec 12, 2024	2024 (Q4)	0.65 / 0.54	0.75	-28.00% (-0.21)
Sep 04, 2024	2024 (Q3)	0.27 / 0.35	0.59	-40.68% (-0.24)
Jun 06, 2024	2024 (Q2)	0.16 / 0.27	0.74	-63.51% (-0.47)
Mar 07, 2024	2024 (Q1)	0.47 / 0.66	0.64	3.13% (+0.02)
Dec 07, 2023	2023 (Q4)	0.69 / 0.75	0.61	22.95% (+0.14)
Aug 31, 2023	2023 (Q3)	0.52 / 0.59	0.33	78.79% (+0.26)
Jun 06, 2023	2023 (Q2)	0.62 / 0.74	0.5	48.00% (+0.24)
Mar 06, 2023	2023 (Q1)	0.36 / 0.64	0.47	36.17% (+0.17)
Dec 08, 2022	2022 (Q4)	0.08 / 0.61	0.85	-28.24% (-0.24)

The table shows recent earnings report dates and whether the forecast was beat or missed. See the change in forecast and EPS from the previous year.

Beat

Missed

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CIEN Earnings-Related Price Changes

Report Date	Price 1 Day Before	Price 1 Day After	Percentage Change
Dec 12, 2024	$73.21	$84.52	+15.45%
Sep 04, 2024	$55.35	$54.93	-0.76%
Jun 06, 2024	$48.24	$48.56	+0.66%
Mar 07, 2024	$61.96	$52.84	-14.72%

Earnings announcements can affect a stock’s price. This table shows the stock's price the day before and the day after recent earnings reports, including the percentage change.

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