20 Best Performing Dividend Stocks in 2025

7. Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW)

YTD Return as of December 30: 90.9%

Dividend Yield as of December 30: 1.26%

Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) is among the best-performing stocks of 2025.

On December 16, Morgan Stanley analyst Meta Marshall raised the firm’s price target on Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) to $98 from $82 and kept an Equal Weight rating.

Marshall said the AI trade broadened beyond semiconductor names in 2025, lifting infrastructure companies, especially those tied to optical technology. That momentum, in her view, can extend into the first half of 2026, with optical remaining a key beneficiary. Looking further out, she cautioned that investors will “need to get more selective for full year returns given multiples,” according to her year-ahead note.

Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) sits at the center of that shift. The company supplies fiber optic cables that move data much faster and across longer distances than traditional copper. That capability matters right now. Data center operators are pushing to get more speed and efficiency out of AI-driven systems, and demand for advanced optical solutions reflects that pressure.

The numbers back it up. Corning reported $4.27 billion in total revenue for the third quarter of 2025, ending September 30, up 14% from a year earlier. The optical communications segment delivered $1.65 billion of that total, a 33% increase year over year.

Within that segment, enterprise demand stood out. Revenue tied to enterprise optical products jumped 58%, driven largely by AI-related investment. That kind of growth is difficult to ignore and explains why optical infrastructure has moved higher on investor priority lists.

Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) is an American multinational technology company focused on glass, ceramics, and related materials used across industrial and technology markets.