Morgan Stanley Raises its Price Target on Ciena Corporation (CIEN) to $280 and Maintains an Equal Weight Rating

Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) is among the 15 Best Stocks to Buy and Hold for the Next 10 Years.

On February 23, 2026, Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) to $280 from $213 and maintained an Equal Weight rating. The firm said that with increasing speed requirements and investment tied to AI data centers, its base case calls for optical markets to grow to more than $65B by 2028 from roughly $30B in 2025. Morgan Stanley added that as traditional networks approach capacity limits, new optical technologies could expand the total addressable market by about $23B, bringing the industry closer to $90B.

On February 19, 2026, Evercore ISI increased its price target on Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) to $330 from $240 and kept an In Line rating as part of an IT hardware and networking January quarter preview.

Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) also replaced Dayforce in the S&P 500 at the open on February 9, 2026, following Thoma Bravo L.P.’s acquisition of Dayforce, which closed on February 4.

Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) provides hardware, software, and services to network operators globally through its Networking Platforms, Platform Software and Services, Blue Planet Automation Software and Services, and Global Services segments.

While we acknowledge the potential of CIEN as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you’re looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

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