Are Investors Overreacting to Corning's Business Update?

Technology

Published: September 17, 2019 10:40 am

Last Updated: January 30, 2020 3:44 pm

Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) shares dipped on Tuesday after the firm provided an early update on its third-quarter performance. Unfortunately, the firm is reducing expectations for two of its business segments: Display Technologies and Optical Communications.

Within Corning’s Display Technologies segment, several panel manufacturing customers have reduced utilization below anticipated levels in the current quarter. As a result, Corning is reducing its volume forecast for that segment to a sequential decline of a high-single-digit percentage for the quarter.

The company continues to expect third-quarter prices to be flat with the second quarter and full-year glass prices to decline at a low-to-mid-single-digit percentage.

As for Corning’s Optical Communications segment, several major carriers are further reducing capital spending on cable deployments and fiber-to-the-home projects. Additionally, some enterprise customers have reduced their spending below anticipated levels.

Corning now expects third-quarter Optical Communications sales to decline year over year by a low-teen percentage, versus a prior expectation of a low-single-digit percentage decline.

For full-year 2019, Corning now forecasts Optical Communications sales will decline by 3% to 5%, compared with its prior expectation of a low-to-mid-single-digit percentage increase. Corning expects both carrier and enterprise network sales to decline year over year in the second half of 2019.

Analysts are calling for $0.45 in earnings per share (EPS) and $3.05 billion for the third quarter. In the same period of last year, Corning posted $0.51 in EPS and $3.04 billion in revenue.

Shares of Corning traded down about 8% to $27.62 Tuesday morning, in a 52-week range of $26.78 to $36.56. The consensus price target is $35.06.