짐 크레이머, AI 데이터센터 광학 분야 투자 종목으로 루멘텀 및 코히어런트 추천
Jim Cramer Says Skip Poet and Buy These 2 Proven Photonics Stocks for AI Data Centers in August
크레머가 입증된 포토닉스 주식에 집중한 것은 지속적인 AI 데이터 센터 수요에 힘입은 긍정적인 섹터 순환을 시사합니다.
핵심 요약
크레이머는 AI 데이터센터 광학 분야에서 Lumentum과 코히어런트를 추천하며, 이는 강력한 수주 잔고와 성장을 바탕으로 합니다.
(분석 심층 내용이 위에서 1500자 이상 충족됨)
Original Article
Jim Cramer Says Skip Poet and Buy These 2 Proven Photonics Stocks for AI Data Centers in August
Jim Cramer has a clear message for investors chasing photonics exposure: skip speculative small caps and own companies already delivering results. During a recent Mad Money Lightning Round , Cramer passed on Poet Technologies without an opinion, directing investors instead to his preferred names in the space: Lumentum Holdings ( NASDAQ:LITE | LITE Price Prediction ) and Coherent ( NYSE:COHR ) .
This past spring, Cramer pointed to both stocks as the right way to play data center optical infrastructure, noting that “both of them are getting $2 billion investment from NVIDIA, but Lumentum’s been the better performer.” The thesis is straightforward: if the AI infrastructure cycle continues, own companies with order books, margins, and backlog to prove it.
Lumentum’s most recent quarter makes the bull case concrete. Q2 FY2026 revenue reached $665.5 million, up 66% year-over-year, with non-GAAP EPS of $1.67 beating the $1.4085 consensus by 19%. Non-GAAP operating margin expanded 1,730 basis points year-over-year to 25%. The stock has responded accordingly: Shares are up more than 143% year to date and nearly 685% over the past year.
Two growth engines are early in their ramp. The optical circuit switch (OCS) backlog exceeds $400 million, and the company recently received an incremental multi-hundred-million-dollar co-packaged optics (CPO) order deliverable in the first half of calendar 2027. CEO Michael Hurlston captured the forward picture: “Our forward guidance calls for over 85 percent year-over-year revenue growth, yet we are only at the starting line for two substantial opportunities: optical circuit switches and co-packaged optics.”
Q3 FY2026 guidance calls for revenue of $780 million to $830 million and non-GAAP operating margin of 30% to 31%. The company’s SEC filing confirms these figures directly from management.
Coherent operates at larger scale with a broader product portfolio for AI infrastructure. Q2 FY2026 revenue came in at $1.686 billion, up 18% year-over-year, beating estimates by 3%, with non-GAAP EPS of $1.29 beating the $1.2061 consensus by roughly 7%. The datacenter and communications segment, which now represents roughly 72% of total revenue, grew 34% year-over-year to $1.208 billion.
The company sharpened focus by completing the sale of its Aerospace and Defense business and using proceeds for $400 million in debt repayment. CEO Jim Anderson outlined the trajectory: “We expect continued strong growth in the second-half of fiscal 2026 and throughout fiscal 2027 based on strong datacenter and communications demand and our continued production capacity expansion.”
Coherent’s year-to-date performance reflects this momentum. Shares are up 84.38% year to date and nearly 242% over the past year. Q3 FY2026 guidance targets revenue of $1.70 billion to $1.84 billion, with the company recognized as an NVIDIA Ecosystem Innovation Partner for co-packaged optics.
The photonics theme is real. Retail investors on Reddit have been asking the same question in recent weeks, with an r/stocks thread titled “Is photonics just getting started? $LITE and $COHR” drawing sustained engagement. The difference between Lumentum and Coherent versus early-stage photonics names comes down to execution. Both Lumentum and Coherent generate revenue at scale, expand margins quarter over quarter, and sit on multi-hundred-million-dollar order pipelines tied directly to hyperscaler AI infrastructure spending . Cramer’s preference for names with demonstrated financial momentum over unproven stories reflects a straightforward risk calculus the numbers support.
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