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

Carlyle Group Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.9B vs $1.2B, roughly 1.6× CIENA CORP). Carlyle Group Inc. runs the higher net margin — 18.8% vs 4.1%, a 14.7% gap on every dollar of revenue. CIENA CORP produced more free cash flow last quarter ($134.6M vs $-1.2B). Over the past eight quarters, Carlyle Group Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (66.2% CAGR vs 3.9%).

The Carlyle Group Inc. is an American multinational company with operations in private equity, alternative asset management and financial services. As of 2023, the company had $426 billion of assets under management.

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).

CG vs CIEN — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
CG
CG
1.6× larger
CG
$1.9B
$1.2B
CIEN
Higher net margin
CG
CG
14.7% more per $
CG
18.8%
4.1%
CIEN
More free cash flow
CIEN
CIEN
$1.4B more FCF
CIEN
$134.6M
$-1.2B
CG
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
CG
CG
Annualised
CG
66.2%
3.9%
CIEN

Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q3 FY2025

Metric
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Revenue
$1.9B
$1.2B
Net Profit
$358.1M
$50.3M
Gross Margin
41.3%
Operating Margin
24.3%
6.0%
Net Margin
18.8%
4.1%
Revenue YoY
84.1%
Net Profit YoY
69.8%
EPS (diluted)
$0.96
$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
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Q4 25
$1.9B
Q3 25
$332.7M
$1.2B
Q2 25
$1.6B
$1.1B
Q1 25
$973.1M
$1.1B
Q4 24
$1.0B
$1.1B
Q3 24
$2.6B
$942.3M
Q2 24
$1.1B
$910.8M
Q1 24
$688.4M
$1.0B
Net Profit
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Q4 25
$358.1M
Q3 25
$900.0K
$50.3M
Q2 25
$319.7M
$9.0M
Q1 25
$130.0M
$44.6M
Q4 24
$210.9M
$37.0M
Q3 24
$595.7M
$14.2M
Q2 24
$148.2M
$-16.8M
Q1 24
$65.6M
$49.5M
Gross Margin
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
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%
Q1 24
45.0%
Operating Margin
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Q4 25
24.3%
Q3 25
25.8%
6.0%
Q2 25
28.0%
2.9%
Q1 25
17.6%
7.5%
Q4 24
25.7%
5.3%
Q3 24
29.9%
2.8%
Q2 24
20.5%
-0.4%
Q1 24
17.5%
8.2%
Net Margin
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Q4 25
18.8%
Q3 25
0.3%
4.1%
Q2 25
20.3%
0.8%
Q1 25
13.4%
4.2%
Q4 24
20.4%
3.3%
Q3 24
22.6%
1.5%
Q2 24
13.9%
-1.8%
Q1 24
9.5%
4.8%
EPS (diluted)
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Q4 25
$0.96
Q3 25
$0.00
$0.35
Q2 25
$0.87
$0.06
Q1 25
$0.35
$0.31
Q4 24
$0.56
$0.26
Q3 24
$1.63
$0.10
Q2 24
$0.40
$-0.12
Q1 24
$0.18
$0.34

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$2.0B
$1.3B
Total DebtLower is stronger
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$7.1B
$2.8B
Total Assets
$29.1B
$5.7B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Q4 25
$2.0B
Q3 25
$2.2B
$1.3B
Q2 25
$1.3B
$1.3B
Q1 25
$1.2B
$1.2B
Q4 24
$1.3B
$1.3B
Q3 24
$1.4B
$1.1B
Q2 24
$914.8M
$1.3B
Q1 24
$1.3B
$1.4B
Stockholders' Equity
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Q4 25
$7.1B
Q3 25
$6.8B
$2.8B
Q2 25
$6.7B
$2.8B
Q1 25
$6.4B
$2.8B
Q4 24
$6.3B
$2.8B
Q3 24
$6.3B
$2.9B
Q2 24
$5.7B
$2.9B
Q1 24
$5.7B
$2.9B
Total Assets
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Q4 25
$29.1B
Q3 25
$27.1B
$5.7B
Q2 25
$25.1B
$5.7B
Q1 25
$24.1B
$5.6B
Q4 24
$23.1B
$5.6B
Q3 24
$22.7B
$5.6B
Q2 24
$22.3B
$5.6B
Q1 24
$20.8B
$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
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$-1.2B
$174.3M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$-1.2B
$134.6M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
-65.1%
11.0%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
2.2%
3.3%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
-3.34×
3.47×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$-3.4B
$605.5M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Q4 25
$-1.2B
Q3 25
$-1.6B
$174.3M
Q2 25
$-168.8M
$156.9M
Q1 25
$-352.1M
$103.7M
Q4 24
$-352.8M
$349.4M
Q3 24
$791.9M
$-159.4M
Q2 24
$-1.3B
$58.5M
Q1 24
$71.1M
$266.1M
Free Cash Flow
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Q4 25
$-1.2B
Q3 25
$-1.6B
$134.6M
Q2 25
$-186.3M
$128.2M
Q1 25
$-368.8M
$76.8M
Q4 24
$-379.5M
$265.8M
Q3 24
$772.8M
$-179.0M
Q2 24
$-1.3B
$41.6M
Q1 24
$56.9M
$249.5M
FCF Margin
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Q4 25
-65.1%
Q3 25
-475.7%
11.0%
Q2 25
-11.8%
11.4%
Q1 25
-37.9%
7.2%
Q4 24
-36.8%
23.6%
Q3 24
29.3%
-19.0%
Q2 24
-120.4%
4.6%
Q1 24
8.3%
24.0%
Capex Intensity
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Q4 25
2.2%
Q3 25
7.0%
3.3%
Q2 25
1.1%
2.6%
Q1 25
1.7%
2.5%
Q4 24
2.6%
7.4%
Q3 24
0.7%
2.1%
Q2 24
1.7%
1.9%
Q1 24
2.1%
1.6%
Cash Conversion
CG
CG
CIEN
CIEN
Q4 25
-3.34×
Q3 25
-1732.78×
3.47×
Q2 25
-0.53×
17.50×
Q1 25
-2.71×
2.33×
Q4 24
-1.67×
9.44×
Q3 24
1.33×
-11.20×
Q2 24
-8.57×
Q1 24
1.08×
5.37×

Financial Flow Comparison

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

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

CG
CG

Fund Management Fee$606.8M32%
Other$528.7M28%
Global Private Equity Segment$307.3M16%
Global Credit Segment$238.0M13%
Carlyle Alp Invest Segment$124.6M7%
Incentive Fee$55.4M3%
Fee Related Performance Revenues$29.2M2%
Investment Advice$11.1M1%

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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