Stifel Financial Corp., a financial services and bank holding company, provides retail and institutional wealth management, and investment banking services to individual investors, corporations, municipalities, and institutions in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Global Wealth Management, Institutional Group, and Other. The company provides private client services, including securities transaction and financial planning services; institutional equity and fixed income sales, trading and research, and municipal finance services; investment banking services, such as mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, and private placements; and retail and commercial banking services comprising personal and commercial lending programs, as well as deposit accounts. It participates in and manages underwritings for corporate and public finance; and offers financial advisory and securities brokerage services. The company was founded in 1890 and is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri.

Stifel Financial looks like a high-quality but no longer cheap financial asset: strong profitability is paired with a noticeable premium on key valuation multiples. P/E at 15.12 is above the industry median, while P/B of 1.99 and P/FCF of 14.44 look especially demanding for a bank/financial company, where the market usually punishes slowing growth harshly. At the same time, the overall business quality trend is positive: ROE has risen to 14.5%, ROA to 2.04%, ROI to 11.66%, and return on tangible equity reached 19.89%, indicating high capital efficiency. Revenue, EBITDA, operating profit, and net profit have generally been growing in recent periods, and TTM net income and operating income are at strong levels relative to history. The balance sheet looks stable in terms of leverage: debt/equity of 0.26 is below the industry median, but absolute debt has still increased, while liquidity remains a weak point, since the quick ratio of 0.80 and current ratio of 0.85 are below comfortable levels. Net profit margin and operating margin remain below the industry median, which limits the case for further multiple expansion. The dividend yield of around 0.49% is too low to materially support the investment case through income. Overall, the fundamentals rather support maintaining a premium to the sector than expanding it, but the current price already reflects a significant portion of the improvements. Therefore, for a target valuation, a moderate conservative downward adjustment is appropriate: the business is strong, but the overvaluation on P/B and P/FCF, as well as weak liquidity and an unremarkable dividend yield, limit upside potential. For an investor, this is not a story of deep undervaluation, but of a quality company with limited room for further multiple expansion.

Stifel Financial Corporation

SF has strong profitability and earnings growth, but its valuation is already expensive on P/B and P/FCF, while weak liquidity and low dividend yield limit the upside.

In trading on Wednesday, shares of Stifel Financial Corporation's 6.25% Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series B (Symbol: SF.PRB) were yielding above the 7% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.5625), with shares changing hands as low as $22.24 on the day. This compares to an average yield of 9.86% in the "Investment Brokerages" preferred stock category, according to Preferred Stock Channel. As of last close, SF.PRB was trading at a 10.60% discount to its liquidation preference amount, versus the average discount of 31.73% in the "Investment Brokerages" category. Investors should keep in mind that the shares are not cumulative, meaning that in the event of a missed payment, the company does not have to pay the balance of missed dividends to preferred shareholders before resuming a common dividend.
Below is a dividend history chart for SF.PRB, showing historical dividend payments on Stifel Financial Corporation's 6.25% Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series B:
In Wednesday trading, Stifel Financial Corporation's 6.25% Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series B (Symbol: SF.PRB) is currently off about 0.5% on the day, while the common shares (Symbol: SF) are down about 2.1%.
Further SF.PRB Research:
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Stifel Financial's Preferred Stock, Series B Yield Pushes Past 7%

The Charles Schwab Corporation (SCHW) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.62 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.53 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.14 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +5.88%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this company would post earnings of $1.39 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.43, delivering a surprise of +2.88%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.
Charles Schwab, which belongs to the Zacks Financial - Investment Bank industry, posted revenues of $7.07 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.71%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $5.85 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
Charles Schwab shares have added about 2.6% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.7%.
What's Next for Charles Schwab?
While Charles Schwab has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Charles Schwab was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $1.63 on $7.09 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $6.27 on $27.52 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Financial - Investment Bank is currently in the top 11% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
Another stock from the same industry, Stifel Financial (SF), has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on July 22.
This brokerage and investment banking firm is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.35 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +18.4%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.3% lower over the last 30 days to the current level.
Stifel Financial's revenues are expected to be $1.41 billion, up 9.7% from the year-ago quarter.
Should You Invest in The Charles Schwab Corporation (SCHW)?
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The Charles Schwab Corporation (SCHW) Tops Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

Key Points
Trump wants the Senate to pass the bill before its recess in early August.
Experts believe passing the bill after this window could be difficult.
If the Democrats take control of the Senate during the midterm elections, that could also complicate passage of the legislation, at least in its current form.
President Donald Trump is increasingly urging the U.S. Senate to pass landmark crypto legislation known as the Clarity Act.
In a Truth Social Post, Trump said the Senate should pass the bill in honor of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and to stay ahead of other countries in terms of crypto.
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Trump and proponents of the bill are up against an increasingly tight window. Here's the most likely scenario of what happens next.
What is the Clarity Act?
The Clarity Act is one of several pieces of legislation that Trump has pushed to support the crypto sector. The bill is intended to provide a broad policy framework to help clarify regulatory gray areas.
The bill accomplishes this on a few fronts. It attempts to more clearly state where regulatory jurisdiction lies, notably stating that the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will have oversight of the crypto-spot markets.
The bill also defines what a "mature blockchain" is, a key term that will set legal criteria and could ultimately determine whether tokens are treated as securities or cryptocurrencies. This is important because securities are subject to tighter regulation under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The Clarity Act also contains important stablecoin language that defines when yield can be paid on stablecoins. This is a key topic because banks are concerned that too much leeway on this matter could drain deposits.
Specifically, the bill would not allow yield to be paid on idle stablecoins but would permit rewards on certain stablecoin activities or transactions. The bill also seeks to add consumer protections related to crypto and stablecoins.
Facing a tight window
The Senate will break for recess on Aug. 11 and won't return until mid-September, leaving only a few weeks before both the Senate and House are out of session until the midterm elections.
"In order to pass a cryptocurrency market structure bill this year, we think Congress needs to finish the bill before the August recess," Sitfel's Chief Washington Policy Strategist Brian Gardner said in a research note at the end of June, according to The Hill. He added:
Passing a bill during the lame duck session following the midterm elections is hypothetically possible, but unlikely... We expect that talks will continue, but the calendar is the enemy. Time is running short.
Odds of passage
The good news for hopefuls like Trump is that Kalshi paces a 73% likelihood of a Senate vote on the Clarity Act before its August recess (as of July 16).
The bad news is that the Senate has a thin majority and needs seven Democrats to help Republicans pass the bill. Although the legislation is viewed as bipartisan, the partisan nature of Congress makes passing any bill difficult.
There are also several concerns about the bill from various Senators and stakeholders. Some Democrats want more language to prevent members of Congress from making money on crypto. Notably, Trump has reportedly made more than $1 billion on various crypto ventures in 2025, according to his financial disclosures.
There are also concerns about the extent to which the legislation would permit criminal investigations into crypto-related matters, and banking trade groups continue to push back on the stablecoin language.
Interestingly, as of this writing, Kalshi assigned a 70% likelihood that the Clarity Act would receive at least 60 votes in the Senate, which are needed for passage. However, this number changes frequently and was only at 21% a few days ago.
So the most likely scenario is that a vote happens before the Senate's August recess and that the bill passes, although I still wouldn't call passage a guarantee.
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President Donald Trump Just Told Congress to Pass the Clarity Act. Here's the Most Likely Scenario for What Happens Next.

Key Points
Pentair expects sales to fall this year as business conditions worsen.
Its CFO abruptly left within months of appointment.
If you want a masterclass in how to lose almost $2 billion in market value in a single week, just look at Pentair (NYSE: PNR). The stock slumped 18.5% at its lowest point in trading this week and hit a new 52-week low of $57.60 per share, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.
What went wrong? Try a sudden C-suite exit, a brutal guidance cut, analyst downgrades, and a swarm of securities fraud investigations. It's a trainwreck.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Everything that went wrong with Pentair
It all started with a gut-punch of a preliminary earnings report. Pentair, which designs and manufactures water solutions from filtration and softening systems to swimming pool equipment, missed its own second-quarter revenue estimates. It expects Q2 sales to be down 17% against its previous guidance of 1% growth.
A pool inventory destocking is to blame. Basically, there's so much inventory out there that the distributors and retailers aren't buying more, hurting Pentair's pool segment's sales and income by $170 million and $105 million, respectively.
Pentair now sees full-year sales falling 4% to 7%. It earlier estimated sales to rise by 2% to 4% this fiscal year. With management also blaming inflation and high interest rates and explicitly stating that business conditions have worsened, the pain is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
Then came the panic-inducing update of Pentair's Chief Financial Officer, Nicholas Brazis, abruptly quitting to join a private firm. Since he was named CFO just this March, the short stint and sudden exit spooked investors.
Analysts went into panic mode too, slashing their price targets for Pentair stock. Notable downgrades include Deane Dray from RBC Capital slashing the stock's price target from $101 per share to $74 apiece, and Nathan Jones from Stifel cutting the price objective to only $65 per share from $103 a share.
What's next for Pentair stock?
Shareholder rights law firms immediately launched investigations into possible securities law violations, questioning internal controls surrounding Pentair's sales forecasts and disclosure of the true health of its sales channels, as well as the circumstances of the CFO's exit.
Where things stand now, it will be an uphill task for Pentair to regain investor confidence.
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Why Pentair Stock Suddenly Plunged to a 52-Week Low This Week

In trading on Tuesday, shares of Stifel Financial Corporation (Symbol: SF) crossed above their 200 day moving average of $100.42, changing hands as high as $101.49 per share. Stifel Financial Corporation shares are currently trading up about 1.7% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of SF shares, versus its 200 day moving average:
Looking at the chart above, SF's low point in its 52 week range is $73.27 per share, with $120.64 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $101.22.
Click here to find out which 9 other dividend stocks recently crossed above their 200 day moving average »
Also see:
GMAB Stock Predictions
TOO market cap history
CIK Dividend Growth Rate
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Stifel Financial Breaks Above 200-Day Moving Average - Bullish for SF

In trading on Thursday, shares of Stifel Financial Corporation's 6.125% Dep Shares Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock Series C (Symbol: SF.PRC) were yielding above the 7% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.5312), with shares changing hands as low as $21.81 on the day. This compares to an average yield of 9.19% in the "Investment Brokerages" preferred stock category, according to Preferred Stock Channel. As of last close, SF.PRC was trading at a 12.28% discount to its liquidation preference amount, versus the average discount of 28.74% in the "Investment Brokerages" category. Investors should keep in mind that the shares are not cumulative, meaning that in the event of a missed payment, the company does not have to pay the balance of missed dividends to preferred shareholders before resuming a common dividend.
Below is a dividend history chart for SF.PRC, showing historical dividend payments on Stifel Financial Corporation's 6.125% Dep Shares Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock Series C:
In Thursday trading, Stifel Financial Corporation's 6.125% Dep Shares Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock Series C (Symbol: SF.PRC) is currently down about 0.4% on the day, while the common shares (Symbol: SF) are up about 4.1%.
Further SF.PRC Research:
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Stifel Financial's Preferred Stock Series C Shares Cross 7% Yield Mark

Key Points
These included the announcement that it would significantly expand its lab facilities in Taiwan.
The AI hardware specialist was also the subject of several optimistic analyst updates.
Astera Labs (NASDAQ: ALAB), an already-hot stock, had a scorching June that sent it to a new all-time high price. Several positive factors converged for the company, a maker of networking hardware and diagnostics for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure that is knee-deep in the AI revolution.
News of a factory expansion, inclusion in an important stock index, and a clutch of positive analyst updates combined to send Astera up nearly 41% that month.
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A busy summer at home and abroad
On June 2, Astera announced that it was expanding its Cloud-Scale Interop Lab located in Taiwan. In its words, this will manifest in "deepening the company's engineering, operational footprint, and strategic coordination with customers and ecosystem partners in one of the world's most important semiconductor ecosystems."
AI hardware requires rigorous testing, and the dramatic expansion of Astera's capabilities in this area at a global center of chip manufacturing is sure to benefit its operations. It should also strengthen the bonds between the company and its important peers in the AI sphere.
Slightly over one week later, Nasdaq announced that, as part of its regular quarterly "rebalancing," it was adding five new stocks to its Nasdaq-100 large-cap index. That quintet includes Astera (plus CoreWeave, Nebius Group, Rocket Lab, and Teradyne, for the curious).
Inclusion on a high-profile index -- and the Nasdaq-100 certainly qualifies -- changes little to nothing about a company's fundamentals and its operations. However, it makes that company's stock an immediate and likely target for the many index funds that dip into market gauges like the Nasdaq-100 for their portfolios.
Finally, several positive analyst updates on Astera were sprinkled throughout the month. Two analysts, Vivek Arya of Bank of America Securities and UBS' Natalia Winkler, both substantially raised their price targets on the specialty tech stock. The former lifted his to $450 per share from $240, while the latter raised hers to $400 from $205.
Neither pundit qualifies as an Astera bull, however, as they both retained their neutral recommendations. That wasn't the case for Stifel's Tore Svanberg, who reiterated his buy recommendation at the beginning of the month, before the stock took off. His price target at the time was $260 per share. At the end of the month, though, this too was raised, to $460.
Late-month cooldown
Sooner or later, a hot stock cools off, and Astera climbed down, albeit only a bit, from its historical peak near the end of the month.
Although the company is an excellent bet as a pick-and-shovel play on the Great AI Build-Out, I'd be a bit wary of its sky-high valuations. However, those who believe it can post out-of-this-world growth in the coming years -- as it has in the recent past -- should consider buying at the current levels.
Should you buy stock in Astera Labs right now?
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Bank of America is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Rocket Lab and Teradyne. The Motley Fool recommends Astera Labs and Nasdaq. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Why Astera Labs Stock Skyrocketed Last Month

Key Points
He also held fast to his buy recommendation.
This came one day after Marvell won praise from one of the most high-profile executives in the tech hardware space.
One day after hitting an all-time high, Marvell Technology (NASDAQ: MRVL) stock repeated the feat on Wednesday. Over the course of the trading session, the semiconductor company's shares added nearly 4% to the previous day's close, following a new bullish analyst update on its prospects.
Another endorsement
The pundit behind that fresh projection was Stifel's Tore Svanberg, who enacted quite a substantial price target raise on Marvell's equity. His new fair value assessment is $321 per share for the company, well up from his previous level of $230. Svanberg retained his buy recommendation on the shares.
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According to reports, the analyst based his move on remarks from Marvell CEO Matt Murphy in his keynote speech at the recent Computex 2026 conference. Svanberg felt that these validated the company's successful strategy, which, in his view, is resonating with a market hungry for the advanced, high-speed connectivity silicon that can support artificial intelligence (AI) functionalities.
It wasn't only the price target bump that lifted Marvell's shares on Hump Day. The company was still basking in the glow of remarks made by another top executive in the chip world, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, at the same conference. In referring to Marvell, Huang described the company and its wares as "essential." Given the hot popularity and prominence of Nvidia in this Age of AI, that's an important endorsement of Marvell's business.
A technological marvel
Any chipmaker with a smart approach to supplying the AI revolution is well-positioned to profit handsomely from the relentless expansion of the technology. Marvell is a leading example of this, as evidenced by Huang's strong and unambiguous wording -- which, I'd say, is entirely accurate. More than ever, Marvell stock feels like an excellent play on the world's AI future.
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Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Marvell Technology and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Why Marvell Technology Bumped Higher Again on Wednesday

Stifel Financial (SF) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.45 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.39 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.33 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +4.32%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this brokerage and investment banking firm would post earnings of $1.65 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.75, delivering a surprise of +6.06%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.
Stifel, which belongs to the Zacks Financial - Investment Bank industry, posted revenues of $1.48 billion for the quarter ended March 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.78%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.26 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
Stifel shares have lost about 1.5% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 3.2%.
What's Next for Stifel?
While Stifel has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Stifel was unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $1.46 on $1.48 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $6.27 on $6.12 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Financial - Investment Bank is currently in the bottom 33% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
One other stock from the same industry, LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (LPLA), is yet to report results for the quarter ended March 2026. The results are expected to be released on April 30.
This company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $5.49 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +6.6%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 4.3% lower over the last 30 days to the current level.
LPL Financial Holdings Inc.'s revenues are expected to be $4.98 billion, up 34.9% from the year-ago quarter.
Should You Invest in Stifel Financial Corporation (SF)?
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Stifel Financial (SF) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates

Key Points
One analyst raised his price target significantly on the company.
Another opined that it was well-positioned to benefit from Oracle's pivot into data centers.
Two positive analyst moves in recent days, including a meaty price target hike, provided a significant lift for Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) stock on Monday. Investors took these updates to heart, and the tech equipment supplier's share price increased robustly, ultimately ending the day more than 6% higher.
A bull gets more bullish
Of the two, that price target increase was likely the more impactful. Before market open Monday, Stifel's Ruben Roy upped his Ciena fair value assessment to $430 per share from $320, maintaining his existing buy recommendation.
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The change was made after Roy attended the company's investor breakfast and, afterwards, met with management at the pivotal Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC). According to reports, the analyst waxed bullish about Ciena's market positioning, which places it nicely to take advantage of numerous opportunities in the current feverish artificial intelligence (AI) build-out.
Roy feels that the company's solid fiscal first-quarter 2026 results have already indicated it can capture plenty of this business.
Separately, on Saturday, Wolfe Research issued an update noting that Oracle's aggressive pivot into a next-generation data center landlord will directly benefit Ciena. This is because the latter company is a notable supplier of the type of hardware sorely needed for this effort.
A victim of popularity?
It's easy to imagine Ciena capturing a significant share of the AI boom, which looks set to be massive and sustainable for years. The catch is that, as a well-known provider of hardware that supports this technology, Ciena has been a very popular stock and is therefore now quite an expensive one. I'd still consider it a buy, but I fear much of its potential upside has already been priced in.
Should you buy stock in Ciena right now?
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Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Ciena and Oracle. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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