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Side-by-side financial comparison of CF Industries (CF) and CIENA CORP (CIEN). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
CF Industries is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.9B vs $1.2B, roughly 1.5× CIENA CORP). CF Industries runs the higher net margin — 26.4% vs 4.1%, a 22.3% gap on every dollar of revenue. CF Industries produced more free cash flow last quarter ($313.0M vs $134.6M). Over the past eight quarters, CF Industries's revenue compounded faster (12.8% CAGR vs 3.9%).
CF Industries Holdings, Inc. is an American manufacturer and distributor of agricultural fertilizers, including ammonia, urea, and ammonium nitrate products. The company is based in Northbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, and was founded in 1946 as the Central Farmers Fertilizer Company. For its first 56 years, it was a federation of regional agricultural supply cooperatives. CF then demutualized, and became a publicly traded company.
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).
CF vs CIEN — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q3 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $1.9B | $1.2B |
| Net Profit | $495.0M | $50.3M |
| Gross Margin | 40.9% | 41.3% |
| Operating Margin | 33.0% | 6.0% |
| Net Margin | 26.4% | 4.1% |
| Revenue YoY | 22.8% | — |
| Net Profit YoY | 26.3% | — |
| EPS (diluted) | $2.56 | $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 | $1.9B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.7B | $1.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.9B | $1.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.7B | $1.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.5B | $1.1B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.4B | $942.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.6B | $910.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.5B | $1.0B |
| Q4 25 | $495.0M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $460.0M | $50.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $492.0M | $9.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $351.0M | $44.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $392.0M | $37.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $341.0M | $14.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $506.0M | $-16.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $238.0M | $49.5M |
| Q4 25 | 40.9% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 38.1% | 41.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 39.9% | 40.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 34.4% | 44.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 34.4% | 40.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 32.4% | 42.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 43.2% | 42.7% | ||
| Q1 24 | 27.8% | 45.0% |
| Q4 25 | 33.0% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 35.0% | 6.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 34.3% | 2.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 27.4% | 7.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 28.9% | 5.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 26.6% | 2.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 40.6% | -0.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 20.6% | 8.2% |
| Q4 25 | 26.4% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 27.7% | 4.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 26.0% | 0.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 21.1% | 4.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 25.7% | 3.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 24.9% | 1.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 32.2% | -1.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | 16.2% | 4.8% |
| Q4 25 | $2.56 | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.19 | $0.35 | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.37 | $0.06 | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.85 | $0.31 | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.86 | $0.26 | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.55 | $0.10 | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.30 | $-0.12 | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.03 | $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 | — | $1.3B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $3.2B | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $4.8B | $2.8B |
| Total Assets | $14.1B | $5.7B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.66× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $1.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $1.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $1.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $1.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $1.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $1.3B | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $1.4B |
| Q4 25 | $3.2B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.0B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.0B | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.0B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.0B | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.0B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.0B | — | ||
| Q1 24 | $3.0B | — |
| Q4 25 | $4.8B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.8B | $2.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $5.0B | $2.8B | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.8B | $2.8B | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.0B | $2.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.2B | $2.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.5B | $2.9B | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.4B | $2.9B |
| Q4 25 | $14.1B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $14.2B | $5.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $13.8B | $5.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $13.3B | $5.6B | ||
| Q4 24 | $13.5B | $5.6B | ||
| Q3 24 | $13.8B | $5.6B | ||
| Q2 24 | $13.8B | $5.6B | ||
| Q1 24 | $13.9B | $5.6B |
| Q4 25 | 0.66× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.61× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.60× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.62× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.60× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.57× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.54× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.55× | — |
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 | $539.0M | $174.3M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $313.0M | $134.6M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 16.7% | 11.0% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 12.1% | 3.3% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 1.09× | 3.47× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $1.8B | $605.5M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $539.0M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.1B | $174.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $563.0M | $156.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $586.0M | $103.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $420.0M | $349.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $931.0M | $-159.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $475.0M | $58.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $445.0M | $266.1M |
| Q4 25 | $313.0M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $717.0M | $134.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $318.0M | $128.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $454.0M | $76.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $223.0M | $265.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $792.0M | $-179.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $391.0M | $41.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $347.0M | $249.5M |
| Q4 25 | 16.7% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 43.2% | 11.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 16.8% | 11.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 27.3% | 7.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 14.6% | 23.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 57.8% | -19.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 24.9% | 4.6% | ||
| Q1 24 | 23.6% | 24.0% |
| Q4 25 | 12.1% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 20.9% | 3.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 13.0% | 2.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.9% | 2.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 12.9% | 7.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 10.1% | 2.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.3% | 1.9% | ||
| Q1 24 | 6.7% | 1.6% |
| Q4 25 | 1.09× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.31× | 3.47× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.14× | 17.50× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.67× | 2.33× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.07× | 9.44× | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.73× | -11.20× | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.94× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.87× | 5.37× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
CF
| Ammonia | $591.0M | 32% |
| UAN | $493.0M | 26% |
| Urea | $372.0M | 20% |
| Other | $244.0M | 13% |
| Other Products | $147.0M | 8% |
| Ammonium Nitrate Segment | $25.0M | 1% |
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% |
