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Side-by-side financial comparison of CIENA CORP (CIEN) and Noble Corp plc (NE). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
CIENA CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.2B vs $764.4M, roughly 1.6× Noble Corp plc). Noble Corp plc runs the higher net margin — 11.3% vs 4.1%, a 7.2% gap on every dollar of revenue. CIENA CORP produced more free cash flow last quarter ($134.6M vs $35.4M). Over the past eight quarters, Noble Corp plc's revenue compounded faster (9.5% 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).
Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 700+ retail stores across the United States.
CIEN vs NE — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $1.2B | $764.4M |
| Net Profit | $50.3M | $86.6M |
| Gross Margin | 41.3% | — |
| Operating Margin | 6.0% | 5.6% |
| Net Margin | 4.1% | 11.3% |
| Revenue YoY | — | -17.6% |
| Net Profit YoY | — | -10.4% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.35 | $0.54 |
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.
| Q4 25 | — | $764.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.2B | $798.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.1B | $848.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.1B | $874.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1B | $927.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $942.3M | $800.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $910.8M | $692.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.0B | $637.1M |
| Q4 25 | — | $86.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $50.3M | $-21.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.0M | $42.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $44.6M | $108.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $37.0M | $96.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $14.2M | $61.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-16.8M | $195.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $49.5M | $95.5M |
| 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% | — |
| Q4 25 | — | 5.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.0% | 6.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.9% | 15.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.5% | 21.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.3% | 18.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.8% | 14.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | -0.4% | 30.3% | ||
| Q1 24 | 8.2% | 16.9% |
| Q4 25 | — | 11.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.1% | -2.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.8% | 5.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.2% | 12.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.3% | 10.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.5% | 7.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | -1.8% | 28.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 4.8% | 15.0% |
| Q4 25 | — | $0.54 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.35 | $-0.13 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.06 | $0.27 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.31 | $0.67 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.26 | $0.56 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.10 | $0.40 | ||
| Q2 24 | $-0.12 | $1.34 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.34 | $0.66 |
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 | $471.4M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $2.8B | $4.5B |
| Total Assets | $5.7B | $7.5B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | — | $471.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.3B | $477.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.3B | $338.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.2B | $303.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.3B | $247.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.1B | $391.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.3B | $162.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.4B | $212.5M |
| Q4 25 | — | $4.5B | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.8B | $4.5B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.8B | $4.6B | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.8B | $4.7B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.8B | $4.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.9B | $4.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.9B | $4.0B | ||
| Q1 24 | $2.9B | $3.9B |
| Q4 25 | — | $7.5B | ||
| Q3 25 | $5.7B | $7.6B | ||
| Q2 25 | $5.7B | $7.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.6B | $7.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.6B | $8.0B | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.6B | $8.0B | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.6B | $5.6B | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.6B | $5.4B |
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 | $187.1M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $134.6M | $35.4M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 11.0% | 4.6% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 3.3% | 19.9% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 3.47× | 2.16× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $605.5M | $432.2M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | — | $187.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $174.3M | $277.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $156.9M | $216.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $103.7M | $271.1M | ||
| Q4 24 | $349.4M | $136.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-159.4M | $283.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $58.5M | $106.8M | ||
| Q1 24 | $266.1M | $128.7M |
| Q4 25 | — | $35.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $134.6M | $139.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $128.2M | $99.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $76.8M | $157.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $265.8M | $-4.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-179.0M | $156.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $41.6M | $-34.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | $249.5M | $-37.9M |
| Q4 25 | — | 4.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 11.0% | 17.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 11.4% | 11.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.2% | 18.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 23.6% | -0.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | -19.0% | 19.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 4.6% | -4.9% | ||
| Q1 24 | 24.0% | -6.0% |
| Q4 25 | — | 19.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.3% | 17.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.6% | 13.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.5% | 13.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.4% | 15.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.1% | 15.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.9% | 20.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.6% | 26.2% |
| Q4 25 | — | 2.16× | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.47× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 17.50× | 5.05× | ||
| Q1 25 | 2.33× | 2.50× | ||
| Q4 24 | 9.44× | 1.41× | ||
| Q3 24 | -11.20× | 4.64× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 0.55× | ||
| Q1 24 | 5.37× | 1.35× |
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% |
NE
| Floaters | $559.8M | 73% |
| Jackups | $145.5M | 19% |
| Service Other | $59.1M | 8% |
