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

CIENA CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.2B vs $755.1M, roughly 1.6× Knife River Corp). Knife River Corp runs the higher net margin — 4.2% vs 4.1%, a 0.1% gap on every dollar of revenue. Knife River Corp produced more free cash flow last quarter ($138.2M vs $134.6M). Over the past eight quarters, Knife River Corp's revenue compounded faster (51.4% 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).

Columbia River Knife & Tool, Inc. (CRKT) is an American knife company established in 1994, and currently based in Tualatin, Oregon, United States. The company's president and sales executive is Rod Bremer and the finance executive is Peggy Bremer.

CIEN vs KNF — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
CIEN
CIEN
1.6× larger
CIEN
$1.2B
$755.1M
KNF
Higher net margin
KNF
KNF
0.1% more per $
KNF
4.2%
4.1%
CIEN
More free cash flow
KNF
KNF
$3.6M more FCF
KNF
$138.2M
$134.6M
CIEN
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
KNF
KNF
Annualised
KNF
51.4%
3.9%
CIEN

Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Revenue
$1.2B
$755.1M
Net Profit
$50.3M
$32.0M
Gross Margin
41.3%
19.2%
Operating Margin
6.0%
8.6%
Net Margin
4.1%
4.2%
Revenue YoY
14.9%
Net Profit YoY
37.6%
EPS (diluted)
$0.35
$0.56

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
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
$755.1M
Q3 25
$1.2B
$1.2B
Q2 25
$1.1B
$833.8M
Q1 25
$1.1B
$353.5M
Q4 24
$1.1B
$657.2M
Q3 24
$942.3M
$1.1B
Q2 24
$910.8M
$806.9M
Q1 24
$1.0B
$329.6M
Net Profit
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
$32.0M
Q3 25
$50.3M
$143.2M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$50.6M
Q1 25
$44.6M
$-68.7M
Q4 24
$37.0M
$23.3M
Q3 24
$14.2M
$148.1M
Q2 24
$-16.8M
$77.9M
Q1 24
$49.5M
$-47.6M
Gross Margin
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
19.2%
Q3 25
41.3%
23.6%
Q2 25
40.2%
18.9%
Q1 25
44.0%
-2.7%
Q4 24
40.9%
17.4%
Q3 24
42.9%
24.7%
Q2 24
42.7%
21.8%
Q1 24
45.0%
2.0%
Operating Margin
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
8.6%
Q3 25
6.0%
17.9%
Q2 25
2.9%
10.6%
Q1 25
7.5%
-23.4%
Q4 24
5.3%
6.7%
Q3 24
2.8%
18.9%
Q2 24
-0.4%
14.5%
Q1 24
8.2%
-16.3%
Net Margin
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
4.2%
Q3 25
4.1%
11.9%
Q2 25
0.8%
6.1%
Q1 25
4.2%
-19.4%
Q4 24
3.3%
3.5%
Q3 24
1.5%
13.4%
Q2 24
-1.8%
9.7%
Q1 24
4.8%
-14.5%
EPS (diluted)
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
$0.56
Q3 25
$0.35
$2.52
Q2 25
$0.06
$0.89
Q1 25
$0.31
$-1.21
Q4 24
$0.26
$0.42
Q3 24
$0.10
$2.60
Q2 24
$-0.12
$1.37
Q1 24
$0.34
$-0.84

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$1.3B
$73.8M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$1.2B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$2.8B
$1.6B
Total Assets
$5.7B
$3.7B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.71×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
$73.8M
Q3 25
$1.3B
$30.7M
Q2 25
$1.3B
$26.6M
Q1 25
$1.2B
$86.1M
Q4 24
$1.3B
$236.8M
Q3 24
$1.1B
$220.4M
Q2 24
$1.3B
$15.5M
Q1 24
$1.4B
$128.4M
Total Debt
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
$1.2B
Q3 25
$1.2B
Q2 25
$1.4B
Q1 25
$1.2B
Q4 24
$677.4M
Q3 24
$678.5M
Q2 24
$679.5M
Q1 24
$680.6M
Stockholders' Equity
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
$1.6B
Q3 25
$2.8B
$1.6B
Q2 25
$2.8B
$1.5B
Q1 25
$2.8B
$1.4B
Q4 24
$2.8B
$1.5B
Q3 24
$2.9B
$1.4B
Q2 24
$2.9B
$1.3B
Q1 24
$2.9B
$1.2B
Total Assets
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
$3.7B
Q3 25
$5.7B
$3.7B
Q2 25
$5.7B
$3.6B
Q1 25
$5.6B
$3.3B
Q4 24
$5.6B
$2.9B
Q3 24
$5.6B
$2.9B
Q2 24
$5.6B
$2.7B
Q1 24
$5.6B
$2.5B
Debt / Equity
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
0.71×
Q3 25
0.74×
Q2 25
0.93×
Q1 25
0.83×
Q4 24
0.46×
Q3 24
0.47×
Q2 24
0.52×
Q1 24
0.56×

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
KNF
KNF
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$174.3M
$195.9M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$134.6M
$138.2M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
11.0%
18.3%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
3.3%
7.6%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
3.47×
6.12×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$605.5M
$-69.6M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
$195.9M
Q3 25
$174.3M
$250.4M
Q2 25
$156.9M
$-42.6M
Q1 25
$103.7M
$-125.3M
Q4 24
$349.4M
$172.4M
Q3 24
$-159.4M
$239.7M
Q2 24
$58.5M
$-46.6M
Q1 24
$266.1M
$-43.2M
Free Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
$138.2M
Q3 25
$134.6M
$188.7M
Q2 25
$128.2M
$-196.2M
Q1 25
$76.8M
$-200.2M
Q4 24
$265.8M
$127.2M
Q3 24
$-179.0M
$216.1M
Q2 24
$41.6M
$-106.5M
Q1 24
$249.5M
$-86.9M
FCF Margin
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
18.3%
Q3 25
11.0%
15.7%
Q2 25
11.4%
-23.5%
Q1 25
7.2%
-56.6%
Q4 24
23.6%
19.3%
Q3 24
-19.0%
19.6%
Q2 24
4.6%
-13.2%
Q1 24
24.0%
-26.4%
Capex Intensity
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
7.6%
Q3 25
3.3%
5.1%
Q2 25
2.6%
18.4%
Q1 25
2.5%
21.2%
Q4 24
7.4%
6.9%
Q3 24
2.1%
2.1%
Q2 24
1.9%
7.4%
Q1 24
1.6%
13.3%
Cash Conversion
CIEN
CIEN
KNF
KNF
Q4 25
6.12×
Q3 25
3.47×
1.75×
Q2 25
17.50×
-0.84×
Q1 25
2.33×
Q4 24
9.44×
7.41×
Q3 24
-11.20×
1.62×
Q2 24
-0.60×
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%

KNF
KNF

Services$347.2M46%
Ready Mix Concrete$88.4M12%
Contracting Services Public Sector$80.2M11%
Aggregates$73.9M10%
Energy Services Segment$56.2M7%
Liquid Asphalt$49.1M7%
Other$43.2M6%
Asphalt$22.7M3%

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