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Side-by-side financial comparison of CIENA CORP (CIEN) and GRAPHIC PACKAGING HOLDING CO (GPK). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

GRAPHIC PACKAGING HOLDING CO is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($2.1B vs $1.2B, roughly 1.7× CIENA CORP). CIENA CORP runs the higher net margin — 4.1% vs 3.4%, a 0.7% gap on every dollar of revenue. 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).

Graphic Packaging International is a Fortune 500 corporation based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It designs and manufactures packaging solutions for commercial products. GPI manufactures paperboard and folding cartons for a wide range of popular consumer goods, particularly beverages and packaged food. The company operates paperboard mills in Kalamazoo, Michigan; Macon, Georgia; Middletown, Ohio; Prosperity, South Carolina; Texarkana, Texas; and West Monroe, Louisiana, that use recycled...

CIEN vs GPK — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
GPK
GPK
1.7× larger
GPK
$2.1B
$1.2B
CIEN
Higher net margin
CIEN
CIEN
0.7% more per $
CIEN
4.1%
3.4%
GPK
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
CIEN
CIEN
Annualised
CIEN
3.9%
-3.5%
GPK

Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Revenue
$1.2B
$2.1B
Net Profit
$50.3M
$71.0M
Gross Margin
41.3%
14.1%
Operating Margin
6.0%
7.4%
Net Margin
4.1%
3.4%
Revenue YoY
0.2%
Net Profit YoY
-48.6%
EPS (diluted)
$0.35
$0.24

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
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
$2.1B
Q3 25
$1.2B
$2.2B
Q2 25
$1.1B
$2.2B
Q1 25
$1.1B
$2.1B
Q4 24
$1.1B
$2.1B
Q3 24
$942.3M
$2.2B
Q2 24
$910.8M
$2.2B
Q1 24
$1.0B
$2.3B
Net Profit
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
$71.0M
Q3 25
$50.3M
$142.0M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$104.0M
Q1 25
$44.6M
$127.0M
Q4 24
$37.0M
$138.0M
Q3 24
$14.2M
$165.0M
Q2 24
$-16.8M
$190.0M
Q1 24
$49.5M
$165.0M
Gross Margin
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
14.1%
Q3 25
41.3%
19.6%
Q2 25
40.2%
18.7%
Q1 25
44.0%
20.6%
Q4 24
40.9%
21.4%
Q3 24
42.9%
22.3%
Q2 24
42.7%
21.2%
Q1 24
45.0%
23.0%
Operating Margin
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
7.4%
Q3 25
6.0%
10.7%
Q2 25
2.9%
8.8%
Q1 25
7.5%
10.5%
Q4 24
5.3%
11.4%
Q3 24
2.8%
12.6%
Q2 24
-0.4%
14.5%
Q1 24
8.2%
12.4%
Net Margin
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
3.4%
Q3 25
4.1%
6.5%
Q2 25
0.8%
4.7%
Q1 25
4.2%
6.0%
Q4 24
3.3%
6.6%
Q3 24
1.5%
7.5%
Q2 24
-1.8%
8.5%
Q1 24
4.8%
7.3%
EPS (diluted)
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
$0.24
Q3 25
$0.35
$0.48
Q2 25
$0.06
$0.34
Q1 25
$0.31
$0.42
Q4 24
$0.26
$0.46
Q3 24
$0.10
$0.55
Q2 24
$-0.12
$0.62
Q1 24
$0.34
$0.53

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$1.3B
$261.0M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$5.0B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$2.8B
$3.3B
Total Assets
$5.7B
$11.8B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
1.51×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
$261.0M
Q3 25
$1.3B
$120.0M
Q2 25
$1.3B
$120.0M
Q1 25
$1.2B
$129.0M
Q4 24
$1.3B
$157.0M
Q3 24
$1.1B
$126.0M
Q2 24
$1.3B
$125.0M
Q1 24
$1.4B
$136.0M
Total Debt
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
$5.0B
Q3 25
$5.5B
Q2 25
$5.4B
Q1 25
$5.7B
Q4 24
$5.1B
Q3 24
$5.4B
Q2 24
$4.9B
Q1 24
$4.9B
Stockholders' Equity
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
$3.3B
Q3 25
$2.8B
$3.3B
Q2 25
$2.8B
$3.2B
Q1 25
$2.8B
$3.2B
Q4 24
$2.8B
$3.0B
Q3 24
$2.9B
$3.0B
Q2 24
$2.9B
$2.8B
Q1 24
$2.9B
$2.9B
Total Assets
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
$11.8B
Q3 25
$5.7B
$11.9B
Q2 25
$5.7B
$11.8B
Q1 25
$5.6B
$11.5B
Q4 24
$5.6B
$11.1B
Q3 24
$5.6B
$11.2B
Q2 24
$5.6B
$10.8B
Q1 24
$5.6B
$11.3B
Debt / Equity
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
1.51×
Q3 25
1.67×
Q2 25
1.68×
Q1 25
1.80×
Q4 24
1.71×
Q3 24
1.79×
Q2 24
1.75×
Q1 24
1.73×

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
GPK
GPK
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$174.3M
$521.0M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$134.6M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
11.0%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
3.3%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
3.47×
7.34×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$605.5M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
$521.0M
Q3 25
$174.3M
$227.0M
Q2 25
$156.9M
$267.0M
Q1 25
$103.7M
$-174.0M
Q4 24
$349.4M
$489.0M
Q3 24
$-159.4M
$187.0M
Q2 24
$58.5M
$161.0M
Q1 24
$266.1M
$3.0M
Free Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
Q3 25
$134.6M
Q2 25
$128.2M
Q1 25
$76.8M
Q4 24
$265.8M
Q3 24
$-179.0M
Q2 24
$41.6M
Q1 24
$249.5M
FCF Margin
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
Q3 25
11.0%
Q2 25
11.4%
Q1 25
7.2%
Q4 24
23.6%
Q3 24
-19.0%
Q2 24
4.6%
Q1 24
24.0%
Capex Intensity
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
Q3 25
3.3%
Q2 25
2.6%
Q1 25
2.5%
Q4 24
7.4%
Q3 24
2.1%
Q2 24
1.9%
Q1 24
1.6%
Cash Conversion
CIEN
CIEN
GPK
GPK
Q4 25
7.34×
Q3 25
3.47×
1.60×
Q2 25
17.50×
2.57×
Q1 25
2.33×
-1.37×
Q4 24
9.44×
3.54×
Q3 24
-11.20×
1.13×
Q2 24
0.85×
Q1 24
5.37×
0.02×

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%

GPK
GPK

Americas Paperboard Packaging$1.4B68%
Other$667.0M32%

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