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

CIENA CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.2B vs $1.2B, roughly 1.0× LANDSTAR SYSTEM INC). CIENA CORP runs the higher net margin — 4.1% vs 3.4%, a 0.8% gap on every dollar of revenue. Over the past eight quarters, CIENA CORP's revenue compounded faster (3.9% CAGR vs -2.2%).

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).

Landstar System, Inc. is an American transportation services company specializing in logistics and, more specifically, third-party logistics. Landstar utilizes an extensive network of over 8,800 independent owner-operators, referred to internally as business capacity owners (BCOs), over 1,000 independent freight agents, and over 70,000 vetted carriers. Landstar provides services principally throughout the United States and to a lesser extent in Canada and between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, ...

CIEN vs LSTR — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
CIEN
CIEN
1.0× larger
CIEN
$1.2B
$1.2B
LSTR
Higher net margin
CIEN
CIEN
0.8% more per $
CIEN
4.1%
3.4%
LSTR
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
CIEN
CIEN
Annualised
CIEN
3.9%
-2.2%
LSTR

Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Revenue
$1.2B
$1.2B
Net Profit
$50.3M
$39.4M
Gross Margin
41.3%
9.6%
Operating Margin
6.0%
4.5%
Net Margin
4.1%
3.4%
Revenue YoY
1.6%
Net Profit YoY
32.3%
EPS (diluted)
$0.35
$1.16

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
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
$1.2B
Q4 25
$1.2B
Q3 25
$1.2B
$1.2B
Q2 25
$1.1B
$1.2B
Q1 25
$1.1B
$1.2B
Q4 24
$1.1B
$1.2B
Q3 24
$942.3M
$1.2B
Q2 24
$910.8M
$1.2B
Net Profit
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
$39.4M
Q4 25
$23.9M
Q3 25
$50.3M
$19.4M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$41.9M
Q1 25
$44.6M
$29.8M
Q4 24
$37.0M
$46.2M
Q3 24
$14.2M
$50.0M
Q2 24
$-16.8M
$52.6M
Gross Margin
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
9.6%
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%
Operating Margin
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
4.5%
Q4 25
2.5%
Q3 25
6.0%
2.2%
Q2 25
2.9%
4.6%
Q1 25
7.5%
3.4%
Q4 24
5.3%
4.8%
Q3 24
2.8%
5.2%
Q2 24
-0.4%
5.6%
Net Margin
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
3.4%
Q4 25
2.0%
Q3 25
4.1%
1.6%
Q2 25
0.8%
3.5%
Q1 25
4.2%
2.6%
Q4 24
3.3%
3.8%
Q3 24
1.5%
4.1%
Q2 24
-1.8%
4.3%
EPS (diluted)
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
$1.16
Q4 25
$0.70
Q3 25
$0.35
$0.56
Q2 25
$0.06
$1.20
Q1 25
$0.31
$0.85
Q4 24
$0.26
$1.30
Q3 24
$0.10
$1.41
Q2 24
$-0.12
$1.48

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$1.3B
$411.0M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$26.1M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$2.8B
$799.0M
Total Assets
$5.7B
$1.6B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.03×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
$411.0M
Q4 25
$452.2M
Q3 25
$1.3B
$434.4M
Q2 25
$1.3B
$426.2M
Q1 25
$1.2B
$473.4M
Q4 24
$1.3B
$566.6M
Q3 24
$1.1B
$531.3M
Q2 24
$1.3B
$504.0M
Total Debt
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
$26.1M
Q4 25
$0
Q3 25
$0
Q2 25
$0
Q1 25
$0
Q4 24
$0
Q3 24
$0
Q2 24
$0
Stockholders' Equity
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
$799.0M
Q4 25
$795.7M
Q3 25
$2.8B
$888.7M
Q2 25
$2.8B
$921.8M
Q1 25
$2.8B
$930.8M
Q4 24
$2.8B
$972.4M
Q3 24
$2.9B
$1.0B
Q2 24
$2.9B
$1.0B
Total Assets
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
$1.6B
Q4 25
$1.6B
Q3 25
$5.7B
$1.7B
Q2 25
$5.7B
$1.7B
Q1 25
$5.6B
$1.7B
Q4 24
$5.6B
$1.8B
Q3 24
$5.6B
$1.8B
Q2 24
$5.6B
$1.8B
Debt / Equity
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
0.03×
Q4 25
0.00×
Q3 25
0.00×
Q2 25
0.00×
Q1 25
0.00×
Q4 24
0.00×
Q3 24
0.00×
Q2 24
0.00×

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
LSTR
LSTR
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.

Operating Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
Q4 25
$72.7M
Q3 25
$174.3M
$89.3M
Q2 25
$156.9M
$7.1M
Q1 25
$103.7M
$55.7M
Q4 24
$349.4M
$61.1M
Q3 24
$-159.4M
$83.1M
Q2 24
$58.5M
$48.1M
Free Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
Q4 25
$70.5M
Q3 25
$134.6M
$86.0M
Q2 25
$128.2M
$4.7M
Q1 25
$76.8M
$53.8M
Q4 24
$265.8M
$54.4M
Q3 24
$-179.0M
$75.6M
Q2 24
$41.6M
$40.6M
FCF Margin
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
Q4 25
6.0%
Q3 25
11.0%
7.1%
Q2 25
11.4%
0.4%
Q1 25
7.2%
4.7%
Q4 24
23.6%
4.5%
Q3 24
-19.0%
6.2%
Q2 24
4.6%
3.3%
Capex Intensity
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
Q4 25
0.2%
Q3 25
3.3%
0.3%
Q2 25
2.6%
0.2%
Q1 25
2.5%
0.2%
Q4 24
7.4%
0.6%
Q3 24
2.1%
0.6%
Q2 24
1.9%
0.6%
Cash Conversion
CIEN
CIEN
LSTR
LSTR
Q1 26
Q4 25
3.04×
Q3 25
3.47×
4.61×
Q2 25
17.50×
0.17×
Q1 25
2.33×
1.87×
Q4 24
9.44×
1.32×
Q3 24
-11.20×
1.66×
Q2 24
0.91×

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%

LSTR
LSTR

Segment breakdown not available.

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