Does Coherent's Product Portfolio Make It the Ultimate AI-Stock?

Core Insights - Coherent Corp.'s growth strategy is heavily focused on capturing opportunities in the expanding AI markets, with a notable 23% year-over-year growth in its AI datacenter business in Q1 of fiscal 2026 [1][8] Group 1: Product Demand and Market Growth - The company has experienced high demand for its products, particularly due to direct bookings, with CEO James Anderson noting the broad adoption of 800G and rapid uptake of 1.6T transceivers [2] - Coherent's Optical Circuit Switch is projected to add over $2 billion in addressable market opportunity in the long term, directly addressing the AI market [4] - The global AI market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 30.6% through 2033, indicating a favorable environment for Coherent's products [4] Group 2: Production and Technological Advancements - Coherent has achieved higher yields in 6-inch Indium Phosphide (InP) production compared to 3-inch, which is critical for next-gen AI infrastructure [3] - The company has commenced 6-inch InP production in Jarfalla, Sweden, to meet rising demand, which is anticipated to increase alongside AI growth [3][8] Group 3: Financial Performance and Valuation - Coherent's stock has increased by 73.7% over the past year, significantly outperforming the industry average growth of 14% [5] - The company trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 32.19, which is higher than its peers LiveRamp and GigaCloud Technology [9] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Coherent's earnings for 2026 and 2027 has risen by 11.4% and 5.1%, respectively, over the last 60 days [12]