Core Viewpoint - Ciena's share price dropped nearly 13% following the release of its fiscal 2025 Q2 results, despite solid revenue and earnings growth driven by AI demand [1][2] Financial Performance - Ciena's fiscal Q2 revenue increased by 24% year over year, while earnings surged by 55% [4] - Sales of optical networking products rose by 38% year over year to $774 million, representing almost 70% of total revenue [4] Customer Insights - Three of Ciena's top five customers are cloud providers, whose investments in AI infrastructure and network expansion significantly contributed to the company's growth [5] - The demand for high-speed data transmission due to AI workloads in data centers is a key driver for Ciena's products [5] Growth Potential - Ciena anticipates AI will be a major growth driver, with a total addressable market projected to reach $26 billion by 2028 [6] - New orders received by Ciena exceeded revenue, with expectations that orders from cloud service providers will double in fiscal 2025 due to AI demand [6][7] Revenue Guidance - Ciena upgraded its fiscal 2025 revenue growth forecast to 14%, up from the previous estimate of 8% to 11% [8] - Analysts have raised revenue estimates for Ciena for the next three fiscal years, reflecting confidence in the company's growth trajectory [9] Earnings Outlook - Analysts project a 24% increase in Ciena's earnings this year to $2.26 per share, with stronger growth expected in subsequent years [11] - Ciena expects future cost reductions to improve margins, targeting a gross margin in the mid-40% range in a couple of years [13] Stock Price Potential - A combination of robust revenue growth and margin improvement could lead to significant earnings growth, with projections of $4.31 per share in a couple of years [14] - If Ciena trades at 27 times earnings, the stock price could reach $118, representing a 64% increase from current levels [15]