GLW vs TEL Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Corning and TE Connectivity are both industrial technology companies benefiting from electrification and connectivity megatrends but with different primary growth drivers. Corning's primary catalyst is AI data center fiber; TE Connectivity's is EV adoption content growth per vehicle. Both offer good long-term growth cases with diversified revenue bases.
Corning is the concentrated AI fiber play while TE Connectivity is the diversified EV and industrial connector compounder — investors must decide which growth driver has more near-term conviction.
TEL holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. GLW has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+286.13% vs +32.98%), though TEL trades at the lower forward P/E (16.64x vs 42.80x). On fundamentals, GLW is growing revenue faster (20.00%), while TEL maintains the higher operating margin (20.34%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for TEL (+25.24%) than for GLW (+10.49%).
- →want concentrated AI data center fiber exposure as the most direct manufacturing beneficiary
- →value Corning's materials science moat in glass and fiber across multiple applications
- →believe the Springboard revenue plan will materially expand the earnings base
- →are comfortable with display glass cycle volatility alongside the fiber secular growth
- →want diversified industrial technology exposure with EV content growth as the primary secular tailwind
- →value the breadth of TE's 500,000+ product portfolio across 10 end markets
- →prefer lower single-theme concentration versus Corning's AI fiber dependency
- →are comfortable with EV adoption pace risk but believe electrification is a decade-long tailwind
| Metric | GLW | TEL |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 69.7 | 52.9 |
| AI rank | #39 | #313 |
| Latest close | $194.92 | $217.64 |
| 1M return | +10.86% | +11.00% |
| 6M return | +128.19% | -2.29% |
| 1Y return | +286.13% | +32.98% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | GLW | TEL |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $38.61K (+286.1%) started 2025-06-18 | $13.29K (+32.9%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $62.33K (+523.3%) started 2021-06-21 | $18.76K (+87.6%) started 2021-06-21 |
| 10Y ago | $158.57K (+1485.7%) started 2016-06-20 | $49.51K (+395.1%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | GLW | TEL |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $154.23B | $61.41B |
| Trailing P/E | 86.15 | 21.51 |
| Forward P/E | 42.80 | 16.64 |
| Price/Sales | N/A | 3.05 |
| EV/Revenue | 9.98 | 3.55 |
| Analyst target | $198.00 | $263.47 |
| Target upside | +10.49% | +25.24% |
| Metric | GLW | TEL |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 20.00% | 14.50% |
| Earnings growth | 138.90% | 7150.00% |
| EPS growth | +138.90% | +7150.00% |
| FCF margin | +3.75% | +12.42% |
| Operating margin | 15.66% | 20.34% |
| Profit margin | 11.09% | 15.54% |
| ROIC proxy | 16.74% | 22.72% |
| Return on equity | 16.74% | 22.72% |
| Dividend yield | 0.63% | 1.42% |
| Beta | 1.16 | 1.16 |
| Debt/equity | 80.36 | 43.80 |
| Current ratio | 1.61 | 1.89 |
| Quick ratio | 0.75 | 1.05 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | GLW | TEL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +286.06% | +32.89% |
| CAGR | +286.80% | +32.94% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 2.56 | 0.87 | |
| Max drawdown | 23.15% | 21.35% | |
| Max daily drop | 10.18% | 9.10% | |
| Max wkly drop | 18.25% | 15.99% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +453.85% | +75.95% |
| CAGR | +40.90% | +11.98% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.00 | 0.38 | |
| Max drawdown | 34.52% | 34.26% | |
| Max daily drop | 10.18% | 9.10% | |
| Max wkly drop | 18.25% | 15.99% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +1111.74% | +315.82% |
| CAGR | +28.35% | +15.33% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.77 | 0.49 | |
| Max drawdown | 48.80% | 47.71% | |
| Max daily drop | 16.40% | 15.83% | |
| Max wkly drop | 18.25% | 27.28% |
| Category | GLW | TEL |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Corning Incorporated | TE Connectivity Ltd. |
| Sector | Technology | Technology |
| Industry | N/A | Electronic Components |
| Core business | Corning is a materials science company whose Optical Communications segment is the primary AI data center beneficiary — manufacturing optical fiber and cable for hyperscaler AI GPU cluster interconnects. Additional segments include Gorilla Glass for smartphones, Display Technologies for LCD substrates, and Hemlock (solar glass joint venture). | TE Connectivity is one of the world's largest manufacturers of connectivity and sensors, making electrical connectors, sensors, and components for transportation (automotive and commercial vehicles), industrial machinery, communications networks, and aerospace/defense. Its EV connector growth — as vehicles become more electronic — is a key secular tailwind. TE has 500,000+ products across 140+ countries. |
| Investor focus | Investors track Optical Communications segment revenue growth, display pricing, and the Springboard revenue plan progress. | Investors track Transportation segment revenue (driven by EV content growth per vehicle), Industrial segment growth, and operating margin as the product mix shifts toward higher-value EV and industrial connectivity solutions. |
- →AI data center optical fiber demand is the largest growth catalyst in Corning's history
- →Gorilla Glass brand provides consumer electronics materials moat
- →Springboard plan targeting $3B+ in incremental revenue across multiple segments
- →EV vehicle architecture requires 10x+ more electrical connectors than ICE vehicles — TE is a primary beneficiary
- →Exceptional diversification across transportation, industrial, medical, and aerospace end markets
- →Scale manufacturing and design relationships with major OEMs create switching cost moat
- →AI fiber demand may normalize after initial data center buildout wave
- →Display glass cycle creates earnings volatility
- →Solar glass via Hemlock JV is early stage with uncertain timing
- →EV adoption pace slower than expected — slower ramp delays the content-per-vehicle growth thesis
- →Industrial automation cycle sensitivity — TE revenue falls in industrial downturns
- →Competition from Amphenol, Molex, and regional connector manufacturers
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