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Side-by-side financial comparison of ARM HOLDINGS PLC (ARM) and CIENA CORP (CIEN). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
ARM HOLDINGS PLC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.2B vs $1.2B, roughly 1.0× CIENA CORP). ARM HOLDINGS PLC runs the higher net margin — 18.0% vs 4.1%, a 13.8% gap on every dollar of revenue. ARM HOLDINGS PLC produced more free cash flow last quarter ($186.0M vs $134.6M). Over the past eight quarters, ARM HOLDINGS PLC's revenue compounded faster (24.1% CAGR vs 3.9%).
Arm Holdings plc is a British semiconductor and software design company headquartered in Cambridge, UK. It designs the Arm CPU architecture and licenses its processor designs and related intellectual property to chipmakers and device manufacturers worldwide. Arm-based chips power the vast majority of smartphones and an increasing share of laptops, data center servers, and embedded devices. The company listed on Nasdaq in September 2023 and remains majority-owned by SoftBank.
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).
ARM vs CIEN — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q3 FY2026 vs Q3 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $1.2B | $1.2B |
| Net Profit | $223.0M | $50.3M |
| Gross Margin | 97.6% | 41.3% |
| Operating Margin | 14.9% | 6.0% |
| Net Margin | 18.0% | 4.1% |
| Revenue YoY | 26.3% | — |
| Net Profit YoY | -11.5% | — |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.21 | $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.
| Q4 25 | $1.2B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.1B | $1.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.1B | $1.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $1.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $983.0M | $1.1B | ||
| Q3 24 | $844.0M | $942.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $939.0M | $910.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $1.0B |
| Q4 25 | $223.0M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $238.0M | $50.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $130.0M | $9.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $44.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $252.0M | $37.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $107.0M | $14.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $223.0M | $-16.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $49.5M |
| Q4 25 | 97.6% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 97.4% | 41.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 97.2% | 40.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 44.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 97.2% | 40.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 96.2% | 42.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 96.5% | 42.7% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 45.0% |
| Q4 25 | 14.9% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 14.4% | 6.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 10.8% | 2.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 7.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 17.8% | 5.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 7.6% | 2.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 19.4% | -0.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 8.2% |
| Q4 25 | 18.0% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 21.0% | 4.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 12.3% | 0.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 4.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 25.6% | 3.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 12.7% | 1.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 23.7% | -1.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 4.8% |
| Q4 25 | $0.21 | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.22 | $0.35 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.12 | $0.06 | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $0.31 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.24 | $0.26 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.10 | $0.10 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.21 | $-0.12 | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $0.34 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $3.5B | $1.3B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $7.8B | $2.8B |
| Total Assets | $10.2B | $5.7B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $3.5B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.3B | $1.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.9B | $1.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $1.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.7B | $1.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.4B | $1.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.5B | $1.3B | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $1.4B |
| Q4 25 | $7.8B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.4B | $2.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.0B | $2.8B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $2.8B | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.4B | $2.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $6.0B | $2.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.7B | $2.9B | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $2.9B |
| Q4 25 | $10.2B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $9.7B | $5.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.4B | $5.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $5.6B | ||
| Q4 24 | $8.5B | $5.6B | ||
| Q3 24 | $8.1B | $5.6B | ||
| Q2 24 | $7.9B | $5.6B | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $5.6B |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $365.0M | $174.3M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $186.0M | $134.6M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 15.0% | 11.0% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 14.4% | 3.3% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 1.64× | 3.47× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $1.2B | $605.5M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $365.0M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $567.0M | $174.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $332.0M | $156.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $103.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $423.0M | $349.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $6.0M | $-159.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-290.0M | $58.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $266.1M |
| Q4 25 | $186.0M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $429.0M | $134.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $178.0M | $128.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $76.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $360.0M | $265.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-47.0M | $-179.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-319.0M | $41.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $249.5M |
| Q4 25 | 15.0% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 37.8% | 11.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 16.9% | 11.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 7.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 36.6% | 23.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | -5.6% | -19.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | -34.0% | 4.6% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 24.0% |
| Q4 25 | 14.4% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 12.2% | 3.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 14.6% | 2.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 2.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 6.4% | 7.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 6.3% | 2.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.1% | 1.9% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 1.6% |
| Q4 25 | 1.64× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.38× | 3.47× | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.55× | 17.50× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 2.33× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.68× | 9.44× | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.06× | -11.20× | ||
| Q2 24 | -1.30× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | — | 5.37× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
ARM
| Royalty | $737.0M | 59% |
| Transferred Over Time | $294.0M | 24% |
| Transferred At Point In Time | $211.0M | 17% |
CIEN
| Optical Networking | $815.5M | 67% |
| Routing And Switching | $125.9M | 10% |
| Platform Softwareand Services Segment | $90.0M | 7% |
| Maintenance Support And Training | $80.7M | 7% |
| Installation And Deployment | $65.9M | 5% |
| Blue Planet Automation Softwareand Services Segment | $27.8M | 2% |
| Consulting And Network Design | $13.6M | 1% |
