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Side-by-side financial comparison of CIENA CORP (CIEN) and Gen Digital (GEN). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Gen Digital is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.2B vs $1.2B, roughly 1.0× CIENA CORP). Gen Digital runs the higher net margin — 15.5% vs 4.1%, a 11.4% gap on every dollar of revenue. Over the past eight quarters, Gen Digital's revenue compounded faster (13.2% CAGR vs 3.9%).
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).
Gen Digital Inc. is a multinational software company co-headquartered in both Tempe, Arizona (USA) and Prague, Czech Republic (EU). The company provides cybersecurity software, financial technology, and services. Gen is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 stock-market index. It is listed at both NASDAQ and Prague Stock Exchange. Its portfolio includes Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender, MoneyLion and CCleaner.
CIEN vs GEN — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q3 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $1.2B | $1.2B |
| Net Profit | $50.3M | $192.0M |
| Gross Margin | 41.3% | 78.4% |
| Operating Margin | 6.0% | 34.9% |
| Net Margin | 4.1% | 15.5% |
| Revenue YoY | — | 28.5% |
| Net Profit YoY | — | 6.1% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.35 | $0.31 |
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.
| Q1 26 | — | $1.2B | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $1.2B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.2B | $1.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.1B | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.1B | $1.0B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1B | $986.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $942.3M | $974.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $910.8M | $965.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | $192.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $134.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $50.3M | $135.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.0M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $44.6M | $142.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $37.0M | $159.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $14.2M | $161.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-16.8M | $181.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | 78.4% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 78.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | 41.3% | 78.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 40.2% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 44.0% | 80.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 40.9% | 80.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 42.9% | 80.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 42.7% | 80.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | 34.9% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 35.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.0% | 35.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.9% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.5% | 41.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.3% | 37.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.8% | 41.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | -0.4% | 43.2% |
| Q1 26 | — | 15.5% | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 11.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.1% | 10.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.8% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.2% | 14.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.3% | 16.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.5% | 16.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | -1.8% | 18.8% |
| Q1 26 | — | $0.31 | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $0.21 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.35 | $0.22 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.06 | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.31 | $0.22 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.26 | $0.26 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.10 | $0.26 | ||
| Q2 24 | $-0.12 | $0.29 |
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 | — | $8.4B |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $2.8B | $2.3B |
| Total Assets | $5.7B | $15.8B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | 3.61× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.3B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.3B | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.2B | $1.0B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.3B | $883.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.1B | $737.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.3B | $644.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | $8.4B | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $8.7B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $8.9B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $8.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $8.5B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $8.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $8.5B |
| Q1 26 | — | $2.3B | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $2.5B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.8B | $2.4B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.8B | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.8B | $2.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.8B | $2.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.9B | $2.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.9B | $2.0B |
| Q1 26 | — | $15.8B | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $16.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $5.7B | $16.4B | ||
| Q2 25 | $5.7B | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.6B | $15.5B | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.6B | $15.4B | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.6B | $15.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.6B | $15.4B |
| Q1 26 | — | 3.61× | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 3.54× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 3.75× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 3.64× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 3.94× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 4.06× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 4.33× |
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 | $174.3M | — |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $134.6M | — |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 11.0% | — |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 3.3% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 3.47× | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $605.5M | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $541.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $174.3M | $409.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $156.9M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $103.7M | $473.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $349.4M | $326.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-159.4M | $158.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $58.5M | $264.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $535.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $134.6M | $405.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $128.2M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $76.8M | $470.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $265.8M | $318.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-179.0M | $156.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $41.6M | $262.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 43.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 11.0% | 32.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 11.4% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.2% | 46.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 23.6% | 32.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | -19.0% | 16.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 4.6% | 27.2% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 0.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.3% | 0.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.6% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.5% | 0.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.4% | 0.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.1% | 0.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.9% | 0.2% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 4.04× | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.47× | 3.03× | ||
| Q2 25 | 17.50× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.33× | 3.33× | ||
| Q4 24 | 9.44× | 2.05× | ||
| Q3 24 | -11.20× | 0.98× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 1.46× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
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% |
GEN
| Cyber Safety Platform | $819.0M | 66% |
| Trust Based Solutions | $421.0M | 34% |
| Net Interest Income On Notes Receivable | $4.0M | 0% |
