Optical communication stocks advanced during regular trading hours on Friday (September 18). Coherent(COHR.US) climbed 6.99% to $316.67, leading the sector with a session high of $316.67. AAOI(AAOI.US) gained 6.30% to $104.24, reaching a session high of $105.21. AXT(AXTI.US) rose 4.18% to $70.58, Lumentum(LITE.US) advanced 3.73% to $926.92, and POET(POET.US) climbed 3.13% to $7.75. Corning(GLW.US) edged up 1.79% to $150.45, while Nokia(NOK.US) was little changed at $10.65. Marvell(MRVL.US) declined 0.75% to $238.95.

The sector benefited from sustained AI computing demand, with data center optical module orders remaining robust. Market participants expect continued penetration of 800G and 1.6T high-speed optical modules, supporting earnings outlooks for related supply chain companies. Analysts note that increasing cloud provider capital expenditure should continue to benefit optical equipment vendors, leaving room for further valuation expansion.

Sector constituents