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

CIENA CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.2B vs $727.8M, roughly 1.7× ESAB Corp). ESAB Corp runs the higher net margin — 7.5% vs 4.1%, a 3.4% gap on every dollar of revenue. CIENA CORP produced more free cash flow last quarter ($134.6M vs $70.3M). Over the past eight quarters, CIENA CORP's revenue compounded faster (3.9% CAGR vs 2.8%).

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).

ESAB, Elektriska Svetsnings-Aktiebolaget, is an American-Swedish industrial company.

CIEN vs ESAB — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
CIEN
CIEN
1.7× larger
CIEN
$1.2B
$727.8M
ESAB
Higher net margin
ESAB
ESAB
3.4% more per $
ESAB
7.5%
4.1%
CIEN
More free cash flow
CIEN
CIEN
$64.3M more FCF
CIEN
$134.6M
$70.3M
ESAB
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
CIEN
CIEN
Annualised
CIEN
3.9%
2.8%
ESAB

Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q3 FY2025

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Revenue
$1.2B
$727.8M
Net Profit
$50.3M
$54.8M
Gross Margin
41.3%
37.0%
Operating Margin
6.0%
14.6%
Net Margin
4.1%
7.5%
Revenue YoY
8.5%
Net Profit YoY
2.1%
EPS (diluted)
$0.35
$0.90

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
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
$727.8M
Q3 25
$1.2B
$715.6M
Q2 25
$1.1B
$678.1M
Q1 25
$1.1B
Q4 24
$1.1B
$670.8M
Q3 24
$942.3M
$673.3M
Q2 24
$910.8M
$707.1M
Q1 24
$1.0B
$689.7M
Net Profit
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
$54.8M
Q3 25
$50.3M
$66.9M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$67.4M
Q1 25
$44.6M
Q4 24
$37.0M
$53.7M
Q3 24
$14.2M
$68.2M
Q2 24
$-16.8M
$82.9M
Q1 24
$49.5M
$60.0M
Gross Margin
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
37.0%
Q3 25
41.3%
37.2%
Q2 25
40.2%
37.6%
Q1 25
44.0%
Q4 24
40.9%
38.5%
Q3 24
42.9%
37.7%
Q2 24
42.7%
38.2%
Q1 24
45.0%
37.0%
Operating Margin
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
14.6%
Q3 25
6.0%
15.2%
Q2 25
2.9%
16.2%
Q1 25
7.5%
Q4 24
5.3%
16.6%
Q3 24
2.8%
15.7%
Q2 24
-0.4%
16.9%
Q1 24
8.2%
16.0%
Net Margin
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
7.5%
Q3 25
4.1%
9.3%
Q2 25
0.8%
9.9%
Q1 25
4.2%
Q4 24
3.3%
8.0%
Q3 24
1.5%
10.1%
Q2 24
-1.8%
11.7%
Q1 24
4.8%
8.7%
EPS (diluted)
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
$0.90
Q3 25
$0.35
$1.09
Q2 25
$0.06
$1.10
Q1 25
$0.31
Q4 24
$0.26
$0.87
Q3 24
$0.10
$1.11
Q2 24
$-0.12
$1.35
Q1 24
$0.34
$0.98

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$1.3B
$218.2M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$1.3B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$2.8B
$2.1B
Total Assets
$5.7B
$4.9B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.63×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
$218.2M
Q3 25
$1.3B
$258.2M
Q2 25
$1.3B
$291.3M
Q1 25
$1.2B
Q4 24
$1.3B
$249.4M
Q3 24
$1.1B
$253.7M
Q2 24
$1.3B
$228.5M
Q1 24
$1.4B
$76.5M
Total Debt
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
$1.3B
Q3 25
$1.1B
Q2 25
$1.1B
Q1 25
Q4 24
$1.1B
Q3 24
$1.1B
Q2 24
$1.1B
Q1 24
$992.8M
Stockholders' Equity
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
$2.1B
Q3 25
$2.8B
$2.1B
Q2 25
$2.8B
$1.9B
Q1 25
$2.8B
Q4 24
$2.8B
$1.8B
Q3 24
$2.9B
$1.8B
Q2 24
$2.9B
$1.7B
Q1 24
$2.9B
$1.6B
Total Assets
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
$4.9B
Q3 25
$5.7B
$4.4B
Q2 25
$5.7B
$4.2B
Q1 25
$5.6B
Q4 24
$5.6B
$4.0B
Q3 24
$5.6B
$4.1B
Q2 24
$5.6B
$4.0B
Q1 24
$5.6B
$3.8B
Debt / Equity
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
0.63×
Q3 25
0.51×
Q2 25
0.55×
Q1 25
Q4 24
0.60×
Q3 24
0.59×
Q2 24
0.63×
Q1 24
0.61×

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
ESAB
ESAB
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$174.3M
$81.5M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$134.6M
$70.3M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
11.0%
9.7%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
3.3%
1.5%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
3.47×
1.49×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$605.5M
$238.0M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
$81.5M
Q3 25
$174.3M
$46.6M
Q2 25
$156.9M
$35.4M
Q1 25
$103.7M
Q4 24
$349.4M
$126.9M
Q3 24
$-159.4M
$101.0M
Q2 24
$58.5M
$83.0M
Q1 24
$266.1M
$44.5M
Free Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
$70.3M
Q3 25
$134.6M
$37.4M
Q2 25
$128.2M
$28.1M
Q1 25
$76.8M
Q4 24
$265.8M
$102.2M
Q3 24
$-179.0M
$90.4M
Q2 24
$41.6M
$74.0M
Q1 24
$249.5M
$37.1M
FCF Margin
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
9.7%
Q3 25
11.0%
5.2%
Q2 25
11.4%
4.1%
Q1 25
7.2%
Q4 24
23.6%
15.2%
Q3 24
-19.0%
13.4%
Q2 24
4.6%
10.5%
Q1 24
24.0%
5.4%
Capex Intensity
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
1.5%
Q3 25
3.3%
1.3%
Q2 25
2.6%
1.1%
Q1 25
2.5%
Q4 24
7.4%
3.7%
Q3 24
2.1%
1.6%
Q2 24
1.9%
1.3%
Q1 24
1.6%
1.1%
Cash Conversion
CIEN
CIEN
ESAB
ESAB
Q4 25
1.49×
Q3 25
3.47×
0.70×
Q2 25
17.50×
0.53×
Q1 25
2.33×
Q4 24
9.44×
2.36×
Q3 24
-11.20×
1.48×
Q2 24
1.00×
Q1 24
5.37×
0.74×

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%

ESAB
ESAB

Consumable Products$477.9M66%
Equipment Products$249.9M34%

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