CORNING, N.Y. — Corning Inc. on Wednesday reported a surge in fourth-quarter profits and record annual sales for 2025, driven by a massive expansion in its optical communications business and a new multiyear partnership with tech giant Meta.
The specialty glass and ceramics manufacturer posted core sales of $4.41 billion for the quarter, a 14% increase over the same period last year. For the full year, the company reached a record $16.41 billion in sales, up 13% from 2024.
Corning’s earnings per share for the quarter rose 26% to 72 cents, surpassing analyst expectations. The company credited the growth largely to the adoption of generative artificial intelligence products, which bolstered its enterprise optical business by 60% over the year.
"Since the launch of our Springboard growth plan two years ago, we have transformed Corning's financial profile," Wendell P. Weeks, Corning’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "We now have a highly profitable launch point for future growth."
The earnings report follows the announcement of a deal with Meta Platforms worth up to $6 billion. Under the agreement, Corning will supply optical fiber and cable to support Meta’s data center buildout. To meet the demand, Corning is expanding its manufacturing facility in Hickory, North Carolina.
The company also upgraded its long-term financial targets. Under its revised "Springboard" plan, Corning now expects to add $11 billion in incremental annualized sales by the end of 2028, up from its previous goal of $8 billion.
Despite the record results, Corning shares saw a slight dip of 2.5% in early trading Wednesday as investors weighed the company’s first-quarter 2026 guidance. Management projected sales of approximately $4.2 billion to $4.3 billion for the upcoming quarter, which fell slightly below some Wall Street estimates.
Executive Vice President and CFO Ed Schlesinger noted that the company’s free cash flow nearly doubled in 2025 to $1.72 billion.
"We enter 2026 with exciting momentum," Schlesinger said. "We significantly enhanced our financial profile and positioned the company to generate even more profit and cash going forward."
Corning’s display segment also outperformed internal targets, reporting a full-year net income of $993 million, exceeding the company’s expected range of $900 million to $950 million.
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