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

CIENA CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.2B vs $827.0M, roughly 1.5× Loews Corporation). Loews Corporation runs the higher net margin — 48.6% vs 4.1%, a 44.5% gap on every dollar of revenue. Loews Corporation produced more free cash flow last quarter ($426.0M vs $134.6M). Over the past eight quarters, Loews Corporation's revenue compounded faster (7.9% 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).

Loews Corporation is a diversified US-based conglomerate that operates across multiple key industry segments through its subsidiaries. Its core business lines include property and casualty insurance, natural gas pipeline transportation, hospitality services, and upstream oil and gas exploration and production, primarily serving commercial, consumer and industrial clients across North American markets.

CIEN vs L — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
CIEN
CIEN
1.5× larger
CIEN
$1.2B
$827.0M
L
Higher net margin
L
L
44.5% more per $
L
48.6%
4.1%
CIEN
More free cash flow
L
L
$291.4M more FCF
L
$426.0M
$134.6M
CIEN
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
L
L
Annualised
L
7.9%
3.9%
CIEN

Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Revenue
$1.2B
$827.0M
Net Profit
$50.3M
$402.0M
Gross Margin
41.3%
Operating Margin
6.0%
65.4%
Net Margin
4.1%
48.6%
Revenue YoY
4.8%
Net Profit YoY
115.0%
EPS (diluted)
$0.35
$1.93

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
L
L
Q4 25
$827.0M
Q3 25
$1.2B
$732.0M
Q2 25
$1.1B
$769.0M
Q1 25
$1.1B
$846.0M
Q4 24
$1.1B
$789.0M
Q3 24
$942.3M
$683.0M
Q2 24
$910.8M
$711.0M
Q1 24
$1.0B
$710.0M
Net Profit
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
$402.0M
Q3 25
$50.3M
$504.0M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$391.0M
Q1 25
$44.6M
$370.0M
Q4 24
$37.0M
$187.0M
Q3 24
$14.2M
$401.0M
Q2 24
$-16.8M
$369.0M
Q1 24
$49.5M
$457.0M
Gross Margin
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
Q3 25
41.3%
Q2 25
40.2%
Q1 25
44.0%
Q4 24
40.9%
Q3 24
42.9%
Q2 24
42.7%
Q1 24
45.0%
Operating Margin
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
65.4%
Q3 25
6.0%
94.1%
Q2 25
2.9%
70.1%
Q1 25
7.5%
60.8%
Q4 24
5.3%
23.8%
Q3 24
2.8%
80.5%
Q2 24
-0.4%
71.3%
Q1 24
8.2%
88.6%
Net Margin
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
48.6%
Q3 25
4.1%
68.9%
Q2 25
0.8%
50.8%
Q1 25
4.2%
43.7%
Q4 24
3.3%
23.7%
Q3 24
1.5%
58.7%
Q2 24
-1.8%
51.9%
Q1 24
4.8%
64.4%
EPS (diluted)
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
$1.93
Q3 25
$0.35
$2.43
Q2 25
$0.06
$1.87
Q1 25
$0.31
$1.74
Q4 24
$0.26
$0.87
Q3 24
$0.10
$1.82
Q2 24
$-0.12
$1.67
Q1 24
$0.34
$2.05

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$1.3B
$6.0B
Total DebtLower is stronger
$8.4B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$2.8B
$18.7B
Total Assets
$5.7B
$86.3B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.45×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
$6.0B
Q3 25
$1.3B
$5.4B
Q2 25
$1.3B
$4.5B
Q1 25
$1.2B
$4.4B
Q4 24
$1.3B
$4.6B
Q3 24
$1.1B
$5.2B
Q2 24
$1.3B
$4.9B
Q1 24
$1.4B
$5.4B
Total Debt
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
$8.4B
Q3 25
$8.4B
Q2 25
$7.9B
Q1 25
$8.4B
Q4 24
$8.9B
Q3 24
$8.8B
Q2 24
$8.6B
Q1 24
$8.4B
Stockholders' Equity
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
$18.7B
Q3 25
$2.8B
$18.3B
Q2 25
$2.8B
$17.5B
Q1 25
$2.8B
$17.2B
Q4 24
$2.8B
$17.1B
Q3 24
$2.9B
$17.4B
Q2 24
$2.9B
$16.4B
Q1 24
$2.9B
$16.2B
Total Assets
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
$86.3B
Q3 25
$5.7B
$85.9B
Q2 25
$5.7B
$84.7B
Q1 25
$5.6B
$83.1B
Q4 24
$5.6B
$81.9B
Q3 24
$5.6B
$83.6B
Q2 24
$5.6B
$81.1B
Q1 24
$5.6B
$80.9B
Debt / Equity
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
0.45×
Q3 25
0.46×
Q2 25
0.45×
Q1 25
0.49×
Q4 24
0.52×
Q3 24
0.51×
Q2 24
0.52×
Q1 24
0.52×

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
L
L
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$174.3M
$617.0M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$134.6M
$426.0M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
11.0%
51.5%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
3.3%
23.1%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
3.47×
1.53×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$605.5M
$2.7B

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
$617.0M
Q3 25
$174.3M
$920.0M
Q2 25
$156.9M
$1.0B
Q1 25
$103.7M
$736.0M
Q4 24
$349.4M
$941.0M
Q3 24
$-159.4M
$934.0M
Q2 24
$58.5M
$952.0M
Q1 24
$266.1M
$198.0M
Free Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
$426.0M
Q3 25
$134.6M
$764.0M
Q2 25
$128.2M
$872.0M
Q1 25
$76.8M
$638.0M
Q4 24
$265.8M
$767.0M
Q3 24
$-179.0M
$794.0M
Q2 24
$41.6M
$793.0M
Q1 24
$249.5M
$39.0M
FCF Margin
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
51.5%
Q3 25
11.0%
104.4%
Q2 25
11.4%
113.4%
Q1 25
7.2%
75.4%
Q4 24
23.6%
97.2%
Q3 24
-19.0%
116.3%
Q2 24
4.6%
111.5%
Q1 24
24.0%
5.5%
Capex Intensity
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
23.1%
Q3 25
3.3%
21.3%
Q2 25
2.6%
17.4%
Q1 25
2.5%
11.6%
Q4 24
7.4%
22.1%
Q3 24
2.1%
20.5%
Q2 24
1.9%
22.4%
Q1 24
1.6%
22.4%
Cash Conversion
CIEN
CIEN
L
L
Q4 25
1.53×
Q3 25
3.47×
1.83×
Q2 25
17.50×
2.57×
Q1 25
2.33×
1.99×
Q4 24
9.44×
5.03×
Q3 24
-11.20×
2.33×
Q2 24
2.58×
Q1 24
5.37×
0.43×

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%

L
L

Transportation And Storage Of Natural Gas And NG Ls And Ethane Supply And Transportation Services$601.0M73%
Lodging And Related Services$226.0M27%

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