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Side-by-side financial comparison of CIENA CORP (CIEN) and Construction Partners, Inc. (ROAD). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

CIENA CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.2B vs $809.5M, roughly 1.5× Construction Partners, Inc.). CIENA CORP runs the higher net margin — 4.1% vs 2.1%, a 2.0% gap on every dollar of revenue. CIENA CORP produced more free cash flow last quarter ($134.6M vs $47.1M). Over the past eight quarters, Construction Partners, Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (47.6% 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).

Alexander Construction Company was a Palm Springs, California, residential development company that built over 2,200 houses in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California, between 1955 and 1965.

CIEN vs ROAD — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
CIEN
CIEN
1.5× larger
CIEN
$1.2B
$809.5M
ROAD
Higher net margin
CIEN
CIEN
2.0% more per $
CIEN
4.1%
2.1%
ROAD
More free cash flow
CIEN
CIEN
$87.5M more FCF
CIEN
$134.6M
$47.1M
ROAD
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
ROAD
ROAD
Annualised
ROAD
47.6%
3.9%
CIEN

Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Revenue
$1.2B
$809.5M
Net Profit
$50.3M
$17.2M
Gross Margin
41.3%
15.0%
Operating Margin
6.0%
6.2%
Net Margin
4.1%
2.1%
Revenue YoY
44.1%
Net Profit YoY
663.9%
EPS (diluted)
$0.35
$0.31

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
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
$809.5M
Q3 25
$1.2B
$899.8M
Q2 25
$1.1B
$779.3M
Q1 25
$1.1B
$571.6M
Q4 24
$1.1B
$561.6M
Q3 24
$942.3M
$538.2M
Q2 24
$910.8M
$517.8M
Q1 24
$1.0B
$371.4M
Net Profit
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
$17.2M
Q3 25
$50.3M
$56.6M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$44.0M
Q1 25
$44.6M
$4.2M
Q4 24
$37.0M
$-3.1M
Q3 24
$14.2M
$29.3M
Q2 24
$-16.8M
$30.9M
Q1 24
$49.5M
$-1.1M
Gross Margin
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
15.0%
Q3 25
41.3%
17.7%
Q2 25
40.2%
16.9%
Q1 25
44.0%
12.5%
Q4 24
40.9%
13.6%
Q3 24
42.9%
15.6%
Q2 24
42.7%
16.1%
Q1 24
45.0%
10.4%
Operating Margin
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
6.2%
Q3 25
6.0%
11.2%
Q2 25
2.9%
10.6%
Q1 25
7.5%
4.8%
Q4 24
5.3%
2.5%
Q3 24
2.8%
8.5%
Q2 24
-0.4%
8.8%
Q1 24
8.2%
0.8%
Net Margin
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
2.1%
Q3 25
4.1%
6.3%
Q2 25
0.8%
5.7%
Q1 25
4.2%
0.7%
Q4 24
3.3%
-0.5%
Q3 24
1.5%
5.4%
Q2 24
-1.8%
6.0%
Q1 24
4.8%
-0.3%
EPS (diluted)
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
$0.31
Q3 25
$0.35
$1.03
Q2 25
$0.06
$0.79
Q1 25
$0.31
$0.08
Q4 24
$0.26
$-0.06
Q3 24
$0.10
$0.55
Q2 24
$-0.12
$0.59
Q1 24
$0.34
$-0.02

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$1.3B
$104.1M
Total DebtLower is stronger
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$2.8B
$969.1M
Total Assets
$5.7B
$3.4B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
$104.1M
Q3 25
$1.3B
$156.1M
Q2 25
$1.3B
$114.3M
Q1 25
$1.2B
$101.9M
Q4 24
$1.3B
$132.5M
Q3 24
$1.1B
$74.7M
Q2 24
$1.3B
$56.3M
Q1 24
$1.4B
$48.0M
Total Debt
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
Q3 25
$1.6B
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
Q3 24
$515.0M
Q2 24
Q1 24
Stockholders' Equity
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
$969.1M
Q3 25
$2.8B
$912.0M
Q2 25
$2.8B
$853.3M
Q1 25
$2.8B
$807.9M
Q4 24
$2.8B
$811.1M
Q3 24
$2.9B
$573.7M
Q2 24
$2.9B
$552.9M
Q1 24
$2.9B
$525.0M
Total Assets
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
$3.4B
Q3 25
$5.7B
$3.2B
Q2 25
$5.7B
$2.9B
Q1 25
$5.6B
$2.8B
Q4 24
$5.6B
$2.6B
Q3 24
$5.6B
$1.5B
Q2 24
$5.6B
$1.4B
Q1 24
$5.6B
$1.3B
Debt / Equity
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
Q3 25
1.78×
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
Q3 24
0.90×
Q2 24
Q1 24

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
ROAD
ROAD
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$174.3M
$82.6M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$134.6M
$47.1M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
11.0%
5.8%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
3.3%
4.4%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
3.47×
4.80×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$605.5M
$186.6M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
$82.6M
Q3 25
$174.3M
$112.0M
Q2 25
$156.9M
$83.0M
Q1 25
$103.7M
$55.6M
Q4 24
$349.4M
$40.7M
Q3 24
$-159.4M
$95.9M
Q2 24
$58.5M
$34.6M
Q1 24
$266.1M
$18.2M
Free Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
$47.1M
Q3 25
$134.6M
$78.9M
Q2 25
$128.2M
$46.4M
Q1 25
$76.8M
$14.2M
Q4 24
$265.8M
$13.8M
Q3 24
$-179.0M
$78.4M
Q2 24
$41.6M
$19.7M
Q1 24
$249.5M
$-10.6M
FCF Margin
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
5.8%
Q3 25
11.0%
8.8%
Q2 25
11.4%
5.9%
Q1 25
7.2%
2.5%
Q4 24
23.6%
2.5%
Q3 24
-19.0%
14.6%
Q2 24
4.6%
3.8%
Q1 24
24.0%
-2.8%
Capex Intensity
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
4.4%
Q3 25
3.3%
3.7%
Q2 25
2.6%
4.7%
Q1 25
2.5%
7.2%
Q4 24
7.4%
4.8%
Q3 24
2.1%
3.3%
Q2 24
1.9%
2.9%
Q1 24
1.6%
7.7%
Cash Conversion
CIEN
CIEN
ROAD
ROAD
Q4 25
4.80×
Q3 25
3.47×
1.98×
Q2 25
17.50×
1.88×
Q1 25
2.33×
13.20×
Q4 24
9.44×
Q3 24
-11.20×
3.27×
Q2 24
1.12×
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%

ROAD
ROAD

Segment breakdown not available.

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