CIEN vs CSCO
Ciena and Cisco, side by side.
Prices and company dataas of yesterday's close
- CIENBuy moresales growth, past year33%
Ciena's sales grew 33% over the past year, and it trades at 110 times its past year's earnings, below the 154 it typically traded at from May to July.
- CSCOBuy more1.8%
Cisco pays a 1.8% dividend that it has raised for 14 years in a row, and its sales grew 12% over the past year.
Percent return
- CIEN+42.72%
- CSCO+43.11%
Nov 11, 2025 to Nov 11, 2026
Where they differ
- Company size: CIEN $46.8B, CSCO $443B.
- Sales growth, 1 yr: CIEN +33%, CSCO +12%. CIEN is ahead.
- Price for $1 of next year's profit: CIEN $23, CSCO $18. CSCO is ahead.
- Profit per $1 of sales: CIEN 14¢, CSCO 25¢. CSCO is ahead.
- Cash minus debt: CIEN −$442M, CSCO −$15.3B. CIEN is ahead.
- Price change, 1 yr: CIEN +43%, CSCO +43%. S&P 500 +12%.
- How much the price swings: CIEN 91%, CSCO 37%. CSCO is ahead.
| Measure | CIENCiena | CSCOCisco |
|---|---|---|
| Price and returns | ||
| Price | $296.04 | $100.83 |
| Today | Best in this row: +8.80% | +2.73% |
| 1 month | −34.18% | Best in this row: −14.89% |
| 3 months | −23.61% | Best in this row: −15.95% |
| This year | +26.58% | Best in this row: +33.23% |
| 1 year | +42.72% | Best in this row: +43.11% |
| 5 years | Best in this row: +386.43% | +103.57% |
| From 52-week high | −52.8% | −21.9% |
| How much it swings (90 days) | 91% | Best in this row: 37% |
| Valuation | ||
| Market value | $46.8B | $443B |
| Price vs last year's earnings | 109.8× | Best in this row: 37.4× |
| Price vs next year's expected earnings | 23.4× | Best in this row: 18.2× |
| Price vs earnings, adjusted for growth | Best in this row: 0.66× | 2.07× |
| Price to sales | Best in this row: 5.7× | 5.8× |
| Price vs cash it brings in | 42.4× | Best in this row: 28.9× |
| Company value vs operating profit | 34.1× | Best in this row: 20.6× |
| Price vs earnings, against its own past (0 = cheapest) | Best in this row: 0 | 9 |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth, 1 year | Best in this row: +32.6% | +11.8% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 3 years | Best in this row: +9.5% | +3.6% |
| Earnings per share growth, last year | Best in this row: +323.2% | +26.0% |
| Earnings per share growth expected next year | Best in this row: +65.4% | +8.8% |
| Profitability | ||
| Kept from sales after making the product | 44.1% | Best in this row: 64.5% |
| Kept as operating profit | 14.1% | Best in this row: 25.4% |
| Kept as final profit | 10.9% | Best in this row: 20.9% |
| Kept as spare cash | 13.5% | Best in this row: 20.2% |
| Profit on shareholders' money | 22.4% | Best in this row: 27.3% |
| Profit on all money put in | Best in this row: 22.0% | 20.4% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | Best in this row: −$442M | −$15.3B |
| Debt for each $1 of shareholders' money | 1.07× | Best in this row: 0.62× |
| Short-term assets per $1 of bills due | Best in this row: 3.80× | 0.93× |
| Dividend yield | – | 1.79% |
| Share of profit paid as dividends | – | 50% |
| Our readPro | ||
| Our call | Buy more | Buy more |
| Why | Ciena's sales grew 33% over the past year, and it trades at 110 times its past year's earnings, below the 154 it typically traded at from May to July. | Cisco pays a 1.8% dividend that it has raised for 14 years in a row, and its sales grew 12% over the past year. |
| Where the price sits | in the full report | in the full report |
| Our overall score (out of 100) | Best in this row: 72 | 66 |
| Our value score | Best in this row: 45 | 40 |
| Our growth score | Best in this row: 98 | 70 |
| Our quality score | 68 | Best in this row: 85 |
| Our price trend score | 61 | Best in this row: 64 |
| Earnings and analysts | ||
| Next earnings | Dec 10in 28 days | Nov 12AMCtoday |
| Analyst consensus | Buy | Buy |
| To average analyst target | Best in this row: +75.3% | +36.4% |
| Average analyst target | $518.88 | $137.50 |
| Analysts rating it a buy | Best in this row: 81% | 62% |
| Buy ratings added, 3 months | Best in this row: +3 | −1 |
| Analysts covering | 16 | 18 |
CIEN: faster sales growth
Our pick of these: Ciena
Sales growth +32.6% vs +11.8%
CIEN +32.6%, CSCO +11.8%.Forward P/E per point of sales growth 0.72 vs 1.55
CIEN 0.72, CSCO 1.55.+75.3% to the average analyst target, vs +36.4%
CIEN +75.3%, CSCO +36.4%.Where it loses: CSCO has wider profit margins, 25.4% vs 14.1%
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Prices as of yesterday, 3:59 PM ET. A view, not advice.