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

CIENA CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.2B vs $34.3M, roughly 35.5× Clearfield, Inc.). CIENA CORP runs the higher net margin — 4.1% vs -1.8%, a 5.9% gap on every dollar of revenue. CIENA CORP produced more free cash flow last quarter ($134.6M vs $-2.4M). Over the past eight quarters, CIENA CORP's revenue compounded faster (3.9% CAGR vs -3.5%).

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).

Clearfield, Inc. is a company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company produces fiber optic products.

CIEN vs CLFD — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
CIEN
CIEN
35.5× larger
CIEN
$1.2B
$34.3M
CLFD
Higher net margin
CIEN
CIEN
5.9% more per $
CIEN
4.1%
-1.8%
CLFD
More free cash flow
CIEN
CIEN
$137.0M more FCF
CIEN
$134.6M
$-2.4M
CLFD
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
CIEN
CIEN
Annualised
CIEN
3.9%
-3.5%
CLFD

Income Statement — Q4 2025 vs Q1 2026

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Revenue
$1.2B
$34.3M
Net Profit
$50.3M
$-614.0K
Gross Margin
41.3%
33.2%
Operating Margin
6.0%
-5.3%
Net Margin
4.1%
-1.8%
Revenue YoY
-3.2%
Net Profit YoY
67.8%
EPS (diluted)
$0.35
$-0.04

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
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
$34.3M
Q3 25
$1.2B
$23.4M
Q2 25
$1.1B
$49.9M
Q1 25
$1.1B
$47.2M
Q4 24
$1.1B
$29.7M
Q3 24
$942.3M
$5.6M
Q2 24
$910.8M
$48.8M
Q1 24
$1.0B
$36.9M
Net Profit
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
$-614.0K
Q3 25
$50.3M
$-9.1M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$1.6M
Q1 25
$44.6M
$1.3M
Q4 24
$37.0M
$-1.9M
Q3 24
$14.2M
$-827.0K
Q2 24
$-16.8M
$-447.0K
Q1 24
$49.5M
$-5.9M
Gross Margin
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
33.2%
Q3 25
41.3%
53.2%
Q2 25
40.2%
30.5%
Q1 25
44.0%
30.1%
Q4 24
40.9%
29.2%
Q3 24
42.9%
Q2 24
42.7%
21.9%
Q1 24
45.0%
7.7%
Operating Margin
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
-5.3%
Q3 25
6.0%
10.3%
Q2 25
2.9%
3.0%
Q1 25
7.5%
0.6%
Q4 24
5.3%
-6.9%
Q3 24
2.8%
17.3%
Q2 24
-0.4%
-4.7%
Q1 24
8.2%
-26.4%
Net Margin
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
-1.8%
Q3 25
4.1%
-38.8%
Q2 25
0.8%
3.2%
Q1 25
4.2%
2.8%
Q4 24
3.3%
-6.4%
Q3 24
1.5%
-14.7%
Q2 24
-1.8%
-0.9%
Q1 24
4.8%
-16.0%
EPS (diluted)
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
$-0.04
Q3 25
$0.35
$-0.65
Q2 25
$0.06
$0.11
Q1 25
$0.31
$0.09
Q4 24
$0.26
$-0.13
Q3 24
$0.10
$-0.06
Q2 24
$-0.12
$-0.04
Q1 24
$0.34
$-0.40

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$1.3B
$96.4M
Total DebtLower is stronger
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$2.8B
$249.7M
Total Assets
$5.7B
$268.1M
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
$96.4M
Q3 25
$1.3B
$106.0M
Q2 25
$1.3B
$117.2M
Q1 25
$1.2B
$112.0M
Q4 24
$1.3B
$113.0M
Q3 24
$1.1B
$129.0M
Q2 24
$1.3B
$123.8M
Q1 24
$1.4B
$142.9M
Total Debt
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
Q3 24
$2.2M
Q2 24
$2.1M
Q1 24
Stockholders' Equity
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
$249.7M
Q3 25
$2.8B
$256.2M
Q2 25
$2.8B
$264.5M
Q1 25
$2.8B
$265.9M
Q4 24
$2.8B
$267.4M
Q3 24
$2.9B
$275.8M
Q2 24
$2.9B
$274.6M
Q1 24
$2.9B
$279.2M
Total Assets
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
$268.1M
Q3 25
$5.7B
$306.2M
Q2 25
$5.7B
$314.7M
Q1 25
$5.6B
$310.9M
Q4 24
$5.6B
$303.2M
Q3 24
$5.6B
$315.3M
Q2 24
$5.6B
$318.1M
Q1 24
$5.6B
$315.4M
Debt / Equity
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
Q3 24
0.01×
Q2 24
0.01×
Q1 24

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

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

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$174.3M
$-1.4M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$134.6M
$-2.4M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
11.0%
-7.1%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
3.3%
2.9%
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
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
$-1.4M
Q3 25
$174.3M
Q2 25
$156.9M
$7.9M
Q1 25
$103.7M
$3.0M
Q4 24
$349.4M
$7.2M
Q3 24
$-159.4M
$13.1M
Q2 24
$58.5M
$4.0M
Q1 24
$266.1M
$-5.7M
Free Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
$-2.4M
Q3 25
$134.6M
Q2 25
$128.2M
$7.5M
Q1 25
$76.8M
$654.0K
Q4 24
$265.8M
$5.1M
Q3 24
$-179.0M
$9.1M
Q2 24
$41.6M
$2.8M
Q1 24
$249.5M
$-7.7M
FCF Margin
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
-7.1%
Q3 25
11.0%
Q2 25
11.4%
15.1%
Q1 25
7.2%
1.4%
Q4 24
23.6%
17.1%
Q3 24
-19.0%
160.9%
Q2 24
4.6%
5.8%
Q1 24
24.0%
-20.8%
Capex Intensity
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
2.9%
Q3 25
3.3%
2.0%
Q2 25
2.6%
0.8%
Q1 25
2.5%
5.1%
Q4 24
7.4%
7.0%
Q3 24
2.1%
71.4%
Q2 24
1.9%
2.5%
Q1 24
1.6%
5.3%
Cash Conversion
CIEN
CIEN
CLFD
CLFD
Q4 25
Q3 25
3.47×
Q2 25
17.50×
4.93×
Q1 25
2.33×
2.30×
Q4 24
9.44×
Q3 24
-11.20×
Q2 24
Q1 24
5.37×

Financial Flow Comparison

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

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

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%

CLFD
CLFD

Segment breakdown not available.

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