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Side-by-side financial comparison of CIENA CORP (CIEN) and NATIONAL FUEL GAS CO (NFG). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

CIENA CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.2B vs $425.9M, roughly 2.9× NATIONAL FUEL GAS CO). NATIONAL FUEL GAS CO runs the higher net margin — 35.7% vs 4.1%, a 31.6% gap on every dollar of revenue. Over the past eight quarters, NATIONAL FUEL GAS CO's revenue compounded faster (12.1% 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).

National Fuel Gas Company is a diversified energy company with $6.2 billion in assets distributed among the following five operating segments: Exploration and Production, Pipeline and Storage, Gathering, Utility, and Energy Marketing. National Fuel Gas was incorporated in 1902 and is based in Williamsville, New York.

CIEN vs NFG — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
CIEN
CIEN
2.9× larger
CIEN
$1.2B
$425.9M
NFG
Higher net margin
NFG
NFG
31.6% more per $
NFG
35.7%
4.1%
CIEN
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
NFG
NFG
Annualised
NFG
12.1%
3.9%
CIEN

Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q2 FY2026

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Revenue
$1.2B
$425.9M
Net Profit
$50.3M
$152.0M
Gross Margin
41.3%
Operating Margin
6.0%
81.5%
Net Margin
4.1%
35.7%
Revenue YoY
1.7%
Net Profit YoY
EPS (diluted)
$0.35
$1.59

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
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
$425.9M
Q4 25
$637.9M
Q3 25
$1.2B
$443.1M
Q2 25
$1.1B
$527.4M
Q1 25
$1.1B
$734.8M
Q4 24
$1.1B
$513.8M
Q3 24
$942.3M
$310.0M
Q2 24
$910.8M
$338.6M
Net Profit
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
$152.0M
Q4 25
$181.6M
Q3 25
$50.3M
$107.3M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$149.8M
Q1 25
$44.6M
$216.4M
Q4 24
$37.0M
$45.0M
Q3 24
$14.2M
$-167.6M
Q2 24
$-16.8M
$-54.2M
Gross Margin
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
Q4 25
86.6%
Q3 25
41.3%
Q2 25
40.2%
94.7%
Q1 25
44.0%
81.6%
Q4 24
40.9%
87.3%
Q3 24
42.9%
Q2 24
42.7%
98.5%
Operating Margin
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
81.5%
Q4 25
43.3%
Q3 25
6.0%
40.6%
Q2 25
2.9%
43.7%
Q1 25
7.5%
43.2%
Q4 24
5.3%
16.8%
Q3 24
2.8%
-63.4%
Q2 24
-0.4%
-15.2%
Net Margin
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
35.7%
Q4 25
28.5%
Q3 25
4.1%
24.2%
Q2 25
0.8%
28.4%
Q1 25
4.2%
29.4%
Q4 24
3.3%
8.8%
Q3 24
1.5%
-54.1%
Q2 24
-1.8%
-16.0%
EPS (diluted)
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
$1.59
Q4 25
$1.98
Q3 25
$0.35
$1.18
Q2 25
$0.06
$1.64
Q1 25
$0.31
$2.37
Q4 24
$0.26
$0.49
Q3 24
$0.10
$-1.81
Q2 24
$-0.12
$-0.59

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$1.3B
Total DebtLower is stronger
$300.0M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$2.8B
Total Assets
$5.7B
$9.1B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
Q4 25
$271.4M
Q3 25
$1.3B
$43.2M
Q2 25
$1.3B
$39.3M
Q1 25
$1.2B
$40.0M
Q4 24
$1.3B
$48.7M
Q3 24
$1.1B
$38.2M
Q2 24
$1.3B
$81.4M
Total Debt
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
$300.0M
Q4 25
$2.7B
Q3 25
$2.7B
Q2 25
$2.7B
Q1 25
$2.7B
Q4 24
$2.7B
Q3 24
$2.7B
Q2 24
$2.7B
Stockholders' Equity
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
Q4 25
$3.6B
Q3 25
$2.8B
$3.1B
Q2 25
$2.8B
$3.0B
Q1 25
$2.8B
$2.8B
Q4 24
$2.8B
$-76.2M
Q3 24
$2.9B
$-15.5M
Q2 24
$2.9B
$5.0M
Total Assets
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
$9.1B
Q4 25
$9.2B
Q3 25
$5.7B
$8.7B
Q2 25
$5.7B
$8.4B
Q1 25
$5.6B
$8.5B
Q4 24
$5.6B
$8.3B
Q3 24
$5.6B
$8.3B
Q2 24
$5.6B
$8.5B
Debt / Equity
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
Q4 25
0.75×
Q3 25
0.87×
Q2 25
0.90×
Q1 25
0.99×
Q4 24
Q3 24
Q2 24
532.10×

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
NFG
NFG
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$174.3M
$657.3M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$134.6M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
11.0%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
3.3%
117.0%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
3.47×
4.32×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$605.5M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
$657.3M
Q4 25
$274.9M
Q3 25
$174.3M
$237.8M
Q2 25
$156.9M
$388.4M
Q1 25
$103.7M
$253.8M
Q4 24
$349.4M
$220.1M
Q3 24
$-159.4M
$197.9M
Q2 24
$58.5M
$281.8M
Free Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
Q4 25
$-2.7M
Q3 25
$134.6M
$-47.8M
Q2 25
$128.2M
$195.3M
Q1 25
$76.8M
$59.9M
Q4 24
$265.8M
$-20.3M
Q3 24
$-179.0M
$-49.1M
Q2 24
$41.6M
$79.5M
FCF Margin
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
Q4 25
-0.4%
Q3 25
11.0%
-10.8%
Q2 25
11.4%
37.0%
Q1 25
7.2%
8.2%
Q4 24
23.6%
-4.0%
Q3 24
-19.0%
-15.8%
Q2 24
4.6%
23.5%
Capex Intensity
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
117.0%
Q4 25
43.5%
Q3 25
3.3%
64.4%
Q2 25
2.6%
36.6%
Q1 25
2.5%
26.4%
Q4 24
7.4%
46.8%
Q3 24
2.1%
79.7%
Q2 24
1.9%
59.7%
Cash Conversion
CIEN
CIEN
NFG
NFG
Q1 26
4.32×
Q4 25
1.51×
Q3 25
3.47×
2.21×
Q2 25
17.50×
2.59×
Q1 25
2.33×
1.17×
Q4 24
9.44×
4.89×
Q3 24
-11.20×
Q2 24

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%

NFG
NFG

Revenues from External Customers$425.8M100%
Intersegment Revenues$126.0K0%

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