The S&P 500 is off to a tepid start this year, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a record 50,000 as investors piled into beaten-down tech stocks. Many of the software-as-a-service (SaaS) stocks that had taken the worst of last week's sell-off are rising again, and artificial intelligence (AI) continues to bring new opportunities to many tech giants.
If you're looking for high-growth tech stocks to drive your portfolio, Ciena (CIEN 0.14%), Sandisk (SNDK +3.37%), and ServiceNow (NOW 0.89%) could fit the bill.
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1. Ciena
Ciena is a leader in networking and connectivity, and its products are used in all sorts of technology, including streaming, e-commerce, and cloud services. However, it's even more highly in demand as a major part of AI infrastructure. Its data center business is increasing faster than its other segments, and it's expecting it to accelerate in 2025 to double last year's sales.
NYSE: CIEN
Key Data Points
The company provides business-to-business services for other service providers, and these clients are all upgrading their technology to include AI in their ecosystems, resulting in more business for Ciena. Its addressable market was $600 billion last year, and management envisions that growing to $1 trillion by 2028.
Ciena is growing quickly and is highly profitable, and it has a massive long-term opportunity. It gained 176% last year, and it could be a standout stock again in 2026.
2. Sandisk
Sandisk stock is absolutely on fire, up 1,440% since it split from Western Digital and became a stand-alone public company a year ago. The data storage specialist is forging new deals with data center clients, and revenue is soaring. It increased 31% sequentially, and 61% year over year in the 2026 fiscal second quarter (ended Jan. 2).
NASDAQ: SNDK
Key Data Points
What makes the company stand out is its specialization in NAND flash memory, which is in demand for AI hyperscalers and data centers, since it retains data efficiently. Demand is exceeding supply, and Sandisk continues to launch new and more powerful products to satiate increasing demand. Data center revenue was up 64% sequentially in the quarter. It's also performing well in its consumer business, where customers are choosing more premium products, and it's highly profitable, with adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $6.20 in the second quarter, up from $1.23 last year.
Sandisk has a huge opportunity, and the stock isn't expensive, trading at only 15 times trailing-12-month sales.
3. ServiceNow
ServiceNow has been one of the main SaaS companies affected by the market sell-off in SaaS stocks, and it's down 50% over the past year. However, it's growing quickly and has a dominant position in a major industry, and looks oversold at the current price, creating an opportunity for investors.
NYSE: NOW
Key Data Points
The company is a leader in workflow software, calling itself the "control tower" of an organization, and it counts 8,800 clients that rely on its products. The market seems to be worried about it being supplanted by AI, but management is striking deals with AI companies like Anthropic to use AI to enhance its services, making them even more valuable.
After the sell-off, ServiceNow stock trades at a P/E ratio of 29, which gives it plenty of room to expand in 2026.
