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Side-by-side financial comparison of Alexandria Real Estate Equities (ARE) 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 $671.0M, roughly 1.8× Alexandria Real Estate Equities). Alexandria Real Estate Equities runs the higher net margin — 59.4% vs 4.1%, a 55.2% gap on every dollar of revenue. Over the past eight quarters, CIENA CORP's revenue compounded faster (3.9% CAGR vs -6.4%).

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE), an S&P 500® urban office real estate investment trust (REIT), is the first, longest-tenured, and pioneering owner, operator, and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, technology, and agtech campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, with a total market capitalization of $31.9 billion as of December 31, 2020, and an asset base in North America of 49.7 million square feet (SF). The asset base in North America includes 31.9...

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).

ARE vs CIEN — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
CIEN
CIEN
1.8× larger
CIEN
$1.2B
$671.0M
ARE
Higher net margin
ARE
ARE
55.2% more per $
ARE
59.4%
4.1%
CIEN
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
CIEN
CIEN
Annualised
CIEN
3.9%
-6.4%
ARE

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q3 FY2025

Metric
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Revenue
$671.0M
$1.2B
Net Profit
$398.4M
$50.3M
Gross Margin
41.3%
Operating Margin
6.0%
Net Margin
59.4%
4.1%
Revenue YoY
-11.5%
Net Profit YoY
740.6%
EPS (diluted)
$2.10
$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
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
$671.0M
Q4 25
$754.4M
Q3 25
$751.9M
$1.2B
Q2 25
$762.0M
$1.1B
Q1 25
$758.2M
$1.1B
Q4 24
$788.9M
$1.1B
Q3 24
$791.6M
$942.3M
Q2 24
$766.7M
$910.8M
Net Profit
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
$398.4M
Q4 25
$-1.1B
Q3 25
$-232.8M
$50.3M
Q2 25
$-107.0M
$9.0M
Q1 25
$-8.9M
$44.6M
Q4 24
$-62.2M
$37.0M
Q3 24
$167.9M
$14.2M
Q2 24
$46.7M
$-16.8M
Gross Margin
ARE
ARE
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
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
Q4 25
Q3 25
6.0%
Q2 25
2.9%
Q1 25
7.5%
Q4 24
5.3%
Q3 24
2.8%
Q2 24
-0.4%
Net Margin
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
59.4%
Q4 25
-143.3%
Q3 25
-31.0%
4.1%
Q2 25
-14.0%
0.8%
Q1 25
-1.2%
4.2%
Q4 24
-7.9%
3.3%
Q3 24
21.2%
1.5%
Q2 24
6.1%
-1.8%
EPS (diluted)
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
$2.10
Q4 25
$-6.35
Q3 25
$-1.38
$0.35
Q2 25
$-0.64
$0.06
Q1 25
$-0.07
$0.31
Q4 24
$-0.38
$0.26
Q3 24
$0.96
$0.10
Q2 24
$0.25
$-0.12

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$418.7M
$1.3B
Total DebtLower is stronger
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$19.4B
$2.8B
Total Assets
$34.2B
$5.7B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
$418.7M
Q4 25
$549.1M
Q3 25
$579.5M
$1.3B
Q2 25
$520.5M
$1.3B
Q1 25
$476.4M
$1.2B
Q4 24
$552.1M
$1.3B
Q3 24
$562.6M
$1.1B
Q2 24
$561.0M
$1.3B
Total Debt
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
Q4 25
$12.4B
Q3 25
$13.6B
Q2 25
$13.3B
Q1 25
$13.1B
Q4 24
$12.2B
Q3 24
$12.7B
Q2 24
$12.4B
Stockholders' Equity
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
$19.4B
Q4 25
$15.5B
Q3 25
$16.6B
$2.8B
Q2 25
$17.2B
$2.8B
Q1 25
$17.5B
$2.8B
Q4 24
$17.9B
$2.8B
Q3 24
$18.2B
$2.9B
Q2 24
$18.3B
$2.9B
Total Assets
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
$34.2B
Q4 25
$34.1B
Q3 25
$37.4B
$5.7B
Q2 25
$37.6B
$5.7B
Q1 25
$37.6B
$5.6B
Q4 24
$37.5B
$5.6B
Q3 24
$38.5B
$5.6B
Q2 24
$37.8B
$5.6B
Debt / Equity
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
Q4 25
0.80×
Q3 25
0.82×
Q2 25
0.77×
Q1 25
0.75×
Q4 24
0.68×
Q3 24
0.70×
Q2 24
0.68×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

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

Metric
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$475.0M
$174.3M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$134.6M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
11.0%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
76.0%
3.3%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
1.19×
3.47×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$605.5M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
$475.0M
Q4 25
$312.4M
Q3 25
$433.5M
$174.3M
Q2 25
$460.2M
$156.9M
Q1 25
$207.9M
$103.7M
Q4 24
$274.2M
$349.4M
Q3 24
$477.4M
$-159.4M
Q2 24
$411.8M
$58.5M
Free Cash Flow
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
Q4 25
Q3 25
$134.6M
Q2 25
$128.2M
Q1 25
$76.8M
Q4 24
$265.8M
Q3 24
$-179.0M
Q2 24
$41.6M
FCF Margin
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
Q4 25
Q3 25
11.0%
Q2 25
11.4%
Q1 25
7.2%
Q4 24
23.6%
Q3 24
-19.0%
Q2 24
4.6%
Capex Intensity
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
76.0%
Q4 25
Q3 25
3.3%
Q2 25
2.6%
Q1 25
2.5%
Q4 24
7.4%
Q3 24
2.1%
Q2 24
1.9%
Cash Conversion
ARE
ARE
CIEN
CIEN
Q1 26
1.19×
Q4 25
Q3 25
3.47×
Q2 25
17.50×
Q1 25
2.33×
Q4 24
9.44×
Q3 24
2.84×
-11.20×
Q2 24
8.82×

Financial Flow Comparison

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

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

ARE
ARE

Same properties$431.4M64%
Tenant recoveries$178.2M27%
Non-same properties$43.3M6%
Other$18.0M3%

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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