Networking stocks got a serious boost this week after Cisco (CSCO) put up a strong fiscal Q3 2026 report. On May 13, the company posted networking revenue of $8.82 billion, up 25%, thanks to heavy spending on AI infrastructure and campus networking gear.
The market liked what it saw. Cisco shares jumped between 18% and 22% in after-hours trading, and that enthusiasm spread quickly across the sector. Nokia (NOK) climbed more than 10%, which is notable because the company is starting to shake off its old image as just a legacy telecom business.
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This wasn't just traders piling into anything networking-related. AI buildouts are picking up speed, with major cloud companies planning to spend hundreds of billions in 2026 to handle larger training clusters and inference workloads.
So here's the real question. If Cisco's results show that networking demand is heating up again, does Nokia have what it takes to be the next big winner in this space? Let's dive in.
Can Nokia's Financials Justify the Rally?
Nokia Corporation, based in Espoo, Finland, has a market value of about $83 billion and builds telecom equipment, optical gear, and network software for carriers, enterprises, and data centers. The Finnish gear maker is positioned to benefit when spending on connectivity, AI, and carrier infrastructure strengthens across global markets.
As for the stock, NOK is up about 116% since the year started, 169% gain over the past 52 weeks, and closed at $13.98 on May 15.
www.barchart.com Even so, the valuation looks a bit rich. It trades at 33.72x trailing earnings and 27.59x cash flow, both above sector medians of 24.52x and 18.01x.
Its latest quarterly report, released in March 2026, helped support the bullish view. Nokia posted $0.06 in earnings per share, while sales came in at $5.26 billion, down 25.60% quarter-to-quarter, so revenue was softer even though the company stayed profitable.
That same quarter also showed stronger cash generation. Their operating cash flow rose to $578 million, up about 30% from the prior quarter, which suggests the core business was holding up better.
It also reported net cash flow of -$1.31B, but that was still an improvement of 17% from the prior quarter. That means cash outflows narrowed, which matters for a company still spending on network upgrades and growth projects.
What's Driving Nokia's Growth Beyond the Rally?
Nokia is going after a bigger share of AI and networking spending, and the moves it's making go beyond just the quarterly numbers. Right now, the big headline is a $4 billion investment commitment with the Trump administration to expand research and manufacturing in the U.S. That's on top of the $2.3 billion Nokia is already putting into U.S. manufacturing as part of its Infinera acquisition.
The company also locked in a strategic AI-RAN partnership with Nvidia (NVDA), which is starting to show real progress. Nokia and Nvidia finished functional tests of GPU-powered AI-RAN workloads with T-Mobile (TMUS), Indosat (ISAT), and SoftBank @ (SFTBY), proving that AI and radio access network functions can run at the same time on shared infrastructure.
This partnership now includes operators like BT Group (BT.A), Elisa (ELISA.H.DX), NTT DOCOMO, and Vodafone (VOD), all testing AI-RAN tech to improve network performance and handle the surge in mobile AI traffic. Nokia has also brought in hardware partners like Quanta and SuperMicro (SMCI), along with Dell Technologies (DELL) and Red Hat for orchestration, which gives telecom companies more options when choosing servers.
In May 2026, Nokia rolled out AI tools for home and broadband networks, drawing on experience from more than 600 million broadband lines it's deployed around the world. The telecom industry is expected to pour $6.2 billion into this kind of AI by 2030, and Nokia's new systems are built to push first-contact help desk success rates above 50% and cut repeat construction site visits in half.
Nokia Federal Solutions and Lockheed Martin (LMT), also teamed up to introduce a mission-critical 5G solution for the U.S. Department of Defense, using open architecture standards. This modular 5G setup brings Nokia's carrier-grade 5G into the DoW's framework, so military vehicles and platforms can tap into commercial 5G while in the field.
What Are Analysts Saying About Nokia?
Nokia's next earnings report is set for July 23. Analysts are expecting $0.07 per share for the June quarter, up from $0.05 last year, which works out to a 40% jump year-over-year.
Wall Street is starting to treat Nokia as a real AI and networking play, and the recent upgrades show it. Bank of America shifted its rating from “Neutral” to “Buy,” pointing to Nokia's shift into optical networking after the Infinera deal and some key leadership changes.
Argus also upgraded Nokia to Buy after the last quarterly release, setting a $15 price target, which gives the stock about 7.6% upside from here.
The wider analyst group is on board, too. Based on 18 analysts surveyed, Nokia holds a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $12.89. That sits about 7.5% below the current stock price, which shows just how fast the rally has moved ahead of expectations.
www.barchart.com Conclusion
Nokia's rally after Cisco's big quarter is more than just traders chasing momentum for a day. With a $4 billion U.S. investment on the table, the Nvidia AI-RAN partnership is gaining traction, and analyst upgrades pointing to 40% earnings growth, there's real substance backing the move. The big question is whether Nokia can actually convert the AI infrastructure opportunity into better margins and steady revenue gains. For now, the pieces are coming together in a way that suggests this rally might still have legs.
On the date of publication, Ebube Jones did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
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