Investopedia: Ciena Still Trying To Translate Tech Into Prosperity

I realize that many readers have little or no sympathy for sell-side analysts, but I don't envy them the task of figuring out the telco capex space these days. JDS Uniphase (Nasdaq:JDSU) and Oplink (Nasdaq:OPLK) recently offered solid beat-and-raise quarters that stoked hopes that the much-awaited carrier spending rally has finally come.

And then along comes Ciena (Nasdaq:CIEN); a company that has been introducing solid technology and gaining share, but sees less strength in the market right now. As befits its space, Ciena is a tough stock to figure out. While much more promising (and not nearly so beaten down) than Alcatel Lucent (NYSE:ALU), Ciena has to start delivering pretty substantial profit improvements for the stock to really work. The potential is certainly there, but then so are above-average risks as well.

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