Why Shares of Infinera Corp. Lit Up Today

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What's happening?Shares of Infinera leaped 18% higher Friday morning after the communications hardware manufacturer reported strong fourth-quarter results and offered first-quarter guidance above Wall Street's expectations.

Why it's happening Infinera's fourth-quarter revenue was 34% higher year over year at $186.3 million, and earnings came in at $0.13 per share; that was ahead of analysts' expectations of $181.2 million on the top line and $0.11 in EPS.

Infinera expects in the first quarter to earn between $0.08 and $0.12 per share on revenue ranging from $180 million to $190 million, while analysts had sought only $0.07 in EPS on $168 million in revenue. This is a strong showing, and CEO Tom Fallon is confident his company will continue to produce more quarters like this one -- he noted in the company's press release that the market has "accept[ed] our differentiated products and the overall Infinera experience."

The article Why Shares of Infinera Corp. Lit Up Today originally appeared on Fool.com.

Alex Planes has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Infinera. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.