NEW YORK, Feb 14, 2026, 16:16 EST — The closing bell has sounded.
- Corning added 1.5% Friday, ending just shy of the 52-week high it touched the previous day.
- 2025 sales moved higher, an annual filing revealed, with Optical Communications driving the gains on stronger data-center demand.
- U.S. markets resume trading Tuesday following Presidents Day. Corning’s next investor event is set for March 3.
Corning Incorporated ended Friday’s session up 1.5% at $133.46, sticking close to the 52-week high of $136.83 hit just a day earlier. Trading volume came in above the usual, indicating traders haven’t backed off the stock despite its recent surge. (MarketWatch)
It’s an awkward stretch. With U.S. stock markets offline for the weekend and shuttered again Monday for Washington’s Birthday, investors are left waiting on Corning’s next move until trading resumes Tuesday. (New York Stock Exchange)
Corning’s surge has basically made it shorthand for a packed trade — the AI and cloud data center buildout and all the wiring that entails. The company’s business is in optical fiber, cables, and connectivity equipment that supports those projects.
Thursday’s regulatory filing pulled back the curtain on where the growth is coming from. Corning posted 2025 net sales of $15.63 billion, a 19% jump from 2024. Optical Communications—the star performer—registered a 35% surge to $6.27 billion, fueled by enterprise buying linked to “Generative AI” and strong carrier appetite for data-center interconnect plus fiber-to-the-home. (SEC)
But the document also highlights a risk. Corning points to its optical unit’s vulnerability when telecom or hyperscale data-center capital spending drops—order volumes can slide even before the impact shows up in reported earnings.
Investors have stuck close to the company’s previous projections. Corning, at the end of last month, forecasted first-quarter 2026 core sales—its preferred non-GAAP metric—between $4.2 billion and $4.3 billion. It also put core EPS in the 66 to 70 cent range. Morningstar’s William Kerwin weighed in at the time, noting those numbers seemed “probably baked in” after shares surged on the Meta agreement. (Reuters)
The Meta deal still looms large. Back in January, Corning and Meta announced a multiyear agreement worth up to $6 billion for optical fiber, cable, and connectivity gear. Corning also said it would ramp up manufacturing in North Carolina. “This long-term partnership with Meta reflects Corning’s commitment to develop and manufacture critical technologies,” CEO Wendell Weeks said. (Corning)
Corning’s next big date isn’t with the SEC—it’s on its own schedule. CFO Ed Schlesinger is set for a live webcast from the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in San Francisco on March 3. The company has posted details online. (investor.corning.com)
Tuesday’s session carries extra weight this time. Following the long weekend, momentum names are prone to sharp gaps, up or down.
The risk is straightforward—slowdowns in Big Tech’s capital spending or a sudden dip in demand for data-center interconnect could put the brakes on Corning’s optical growth. The stock’s narrow trading band lately says as much, no extra commentary needed.
All eyes on Tuesday—traders want to see if GLW sticks close to this week’s highs. After that, the March 3 conference is up next.
