On Tuesday, JPMorgan reaffirmed its Overweight rating for Corning (GLW, Financial) while maintaining a price target of $60. The move comes on the heels of exciting financial and operational moves at the specialty glass and ceramics giant, including strong LCD panel pricing and sales momentum.

Though Corning stock has gained 60% over the past year, current valuations indicate the stock is trading slightly above its fair value. Though it's rare, the rise in LCD TV panel prices posted a year-over-year increase of 2% during December and is snapping a streak of four months of declines, data from Omdia show. Gains continued into January, with some more gains expected, indicating more positive pricing dynamics.

Corning's Q3 2024 earnings report didn't add to the optimism, with sales rising 8% to $3.73 billion and EPS surging 20% to $0.54. A 55% spike in Optical Communications segment growth was largely responsible for Fairchild's overall growth. Corning is bullish enough, projecting Q4 sales growth of 15% and an EPS jump of 40% looking ahead.

Financial success is not the only thing Corning has covered up during its time under the European Commission's (EC) antitrust microscope: to close the EC antitrust probe; it has agreed to remove exclusivity clauses from its contracts to supply glass to clients for the next nine years. This move is intended to address concerns over which the market isn't playing nice, but it still maintains integrity.

Corning is performing well despite regulatory scrutiny. It holds a strong market position, better LCD pricing, and a good financial outlook for continued growth. Despite these factors, investors remain optimistic about its future performance.