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Side-by-side financial comparison of ARCBEST CORP (ARCB) and CIENA CORP (CIEN). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

CIENA CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.2B vs $998.8M, roughly 1.2× ARCBEST CORP). CIENA CORP runs the higher net margin — 4.1% vs -0.1%, a 4.2% gap on every dollar of revenue. Over the past eight quarters, CIENA CORP's revenue compounded faster (3.9% CAGR vs -3.7%).

ArcBest Corporation is a leading U.S.-based logistics and transportation solutions provider. It offers end-to-end supply chain services including less-than-truckload freight shipping, full truckload services, warehousing, expedited delivery, and customized logistics consulting, serving enterprise, small business, and government clients across North America and select global markets.

Ciena Corporation is an American optical networking systems and software company based in Hanover, Maryland. The company has been described as a vital player in optical connectivity. The company reported revenues of $4.8 billion and more than 9,000 employees, as of November 2025. Gary Smith serves as president and chief executive officer (CEO).

ARCB vs CIEN — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
CIEN
CIEN
1.2× larger
CIEN
$1.2B
$998.8M
ARCB
Higher net margin
CIEN
CIEN
4.2% more per $
CIEN
4.1%
-0.1%
ARCB
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
CIEN
CIEN
Annualised
CIEN
3.9%
-3.7%
ARCB

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q3 FY2025

Metric
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Revenue
$998.8M
$1.2B
Net Profit
$-1.0M
$50.3M
Gross Margin
41.3%
Operating Margin
0.3%
6.0%
Net Margin
-0.1%
4.1%
Revenue YoY
3.3%
Net Profit YoY
-133.1%
EPS (diluted)
$-0.05
$0.35

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
$998.8M
Q4 25
$972.7M
Q3 25
$1.0B
$1.2B
Q2 25
$1.0B
$1.1B
Q1 25
$967.1M
$1.1B
Q4 24
$1.0B
$1.1B
Q3 24
$1.1B
$942.3M
Q2 24
$1.1B
$910.8M
Net Profit
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
$-1.0M
Q4 25
$-8.1M
Q3 25
$39.3M
$50.3M
Q2 25
$25.8M
$9.0M
Q1 25
$3.1M
$44.6M
Q4 24
$29.0M
$37.0M
Q3 24
$100.3M
$14.2M
Q2 24
$46.9M
$-16.8M
Gross Margin
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
Q4 25
Q3 25
41.3%
Q2 25
40.2%
Q1 25
44.0%
Q4 24
40.9%
Q3 24
42.9%
Q2 24
42.7%
Operating Margin
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
0.3%
Q4 25
-0.8%
Q3 25
5.2%
6.0%
Q2 25
3.6%
2.9%
Q1 25
0.7%
7.5%
Q4 24
3.8%
5.3%
Q3 24
12.7%
2.8%
Q2 24
4.5%
-0.4%
Net Margin
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
-0.1%
Q4 25
-0.8%
Q3 25
3.7%
4.1%
Q2 25
2.5%
0.8%
Q1 25
0.3%
4.2%
Q4 24
2.9%
3.3%
Q3 24
9.4%
1.5%
Q2 24
4.4%
-1.8%
EPS (diluted)
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
$-0.05
Q4 25
$-0.35
Q3 25
$1.72
$0.35
Q2 25
$1.12
$0.06
Q1 25
$0.13
$0.31
Q4 24
$1.21
$0.26
Q3 24
$4.23
$0.10
Q2 24
$1.96
$-0.12

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$86.4M
$1.3B
Total DebtLower is stronger
$223.7M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$1.3B
$2.8B
Total Assets
$2.5B
$5.7B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.17×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
$86.4M
Q4 25
$124.2M
Q3 25
$132.6M
$1.3B
Q2 25
$139.7M
$1.3B
Q1 25
$98.7M
$1.2B
Q4 24
$157.2M
$1.3B
Q3 24
$191.1M
$1.1B
Q2 24
$260.5M
$1.3B
Total Debt
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
$223.7M
Q4 25
Q3 25
$214.1M
Q2 25
$241.4M
Q1 25
$214.2M
Q4 24
$189.1M
Q3 24
$180.5M
Q2 24
$203.6M
Stockholders' Equity
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
$1.3B
Q4 25
$1.3B
Q3 25
$1.3B
$2.8B
Q2 25
$1.3B
$2.8B
Q1 25
$1.3B
$2.8B
Q4 24
$1.3B
$2.8B
Q3 24
$1.3B
$2.9B
Q2 24
$1.2B
$2.9B
Total Assets
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
$2.5B
Q4 25
$2.5B
Q3 25
$2.5B
$5.7B
Q2 25
$2.5B
$5.7B
Q1 25
$2.4B
$5.6B
Q4 24
$2.4B
$5.6B
Q3 24
$2.4B
$5.6B
Q2 24
$2.4B
$5.6B
Debt / Equity
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
0.17×
Q4 25
Q3 25
0.16×
Q2 25
0.19×
Q1 25
0.17×
Q4 24
0.14×
Q3 24
0.14×
Q2 24
0.17×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$174.3M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$134.6M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
11.0%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
3.3%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
3.47×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$605.5M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
Q4 25
$44.7M
Q3 25
$98.2M
$174.3M
Q2 25
$108.4M
$156.9M
Q1 25
$-22.3M
$103.7M
Q4 24
$56.8M
$349.4M
Q3 24
$88.8M
$-159.4M
Q2 24
$133.7M
$58.5M
Free Cash Flow
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
Q4 25
$36.9M
Q3 25
$33.2M
$134.6M
Q2 25
$80.9M
$128.2M
Q1 25
$-36.8M
$76.8M
Q4 24
$3.5M
$265.8M
Q3 24
$23.9M
$-179.0M
Q2 24
$83.9M
$41.6M
FCF Margin
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
Q4 25
3.8%
Q3 25
3.2%
11.0%
Q2 25
7.9%
11.4%
Q1 25
-3.8%
7.2%
Q4 24
0.4%
23.6%
Q3 24
2.2%
-19.0%
Q2 24
7.8%
4.6%
Capex Intensity
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
Q4 25
0.8%
Q3 25
6.2%
3.3%
Q2 25
2.7%
2.6%
Q1 25
1.5%
2.5%
Q4 24
5.3%
7.4%
Q3 24
6.1%
2.1%
Q2 24
4.6%
1.9%
Cash Conversion
ARCB
ARCB
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
Q4 25
Q3 25
2.50×
3.47×
Q2 25
4.20×
17.50×
Q1 25
-7.13×
2.33×
Q4 24
1.96×
9.44×
Q3 24
0.89×
-11.20×
Q2 24
2.85×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

ARCB
ARCB

Segment breakdown not available.

CIEN
CIEN

Optical Networking$815.5M67%
Routing And Switching$125.9M10%
Platform Softwareand Services Segment$90.0M7%
Maintenance Support And Training$80.7M7%
Installation And Deployment$65.9M5%
Blue Planet Automation Softwareand Services Segment$27.8M2%
Consulting And Network Design$13.6M1%

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