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

RXO, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.5B vs $1.2B, roughly 1.2× CIENA CORP). CIENA CORP runs the higher net margin — 4.1% vs -3.1%, a 7.3% gap on every dollar of revenue. CIENA CORP produced more free cash flow last quarter ($134.6M vs $-9.0M). Over the past eight quarters, RXO, Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (26.8% 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).

RXO, Inc. is a leading transportation and logistics solutions provider headquartered in the United States. Its core service portfolio includes freight brokerage, last-mile delivery for heavy and bulky goods, managed transportation services, and end-to-end supply chain optimization support, primarily catering to clients across the North American manufacturing, retail, and e-commerce segments.

CIEN vs RXO — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
RXO
RXO
1.2× larger
RXO
$1.5B
$1.2B
CIEN
Higher net margin
CIEN
CIEN
7.3% more per $
CIEN
4.1%
-3.1%
RXO
More free cash flow
CIEN
CIEN
$143.6M more FCF
CIEN
$134.6M
$-9.0M
RXO
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
RXO
RXO
Annualised
RXO
26.8%
3.9%
CIEN

Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Revenue
$1.2B
$1.5B
Net Profit
$50.3M
$-46.0M
Gross Margin
41.3%
Operating Margin
6.0%
-2.9%
Net Margin
4.1%
-3.1%
Revenue YoY
-11.9%
Net Profit YoY
-84.0%
EPS (diluted)
$0.35
$-0.28

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
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
$1.5B
Q3 25
$1.2B
$1.4B
Q2 25
$1.1B
$1.4B
Q1 25
$1.1B
$1.4B
Q4 24
$1.1B
$1.7B
Q3 24
$942.3M
$1.0B
Q2 24
$910.8M
$930.0M
Q1 24
$1.0B
$913.0M
Net Profit
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
$-46.0M
Q3 25
$50.3M
$-14.0M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$-9.0M
Q1 25
$44.6M
$-31.0M
Q4 24
$37.0M
$-25.0M
Q3 24
$14.2M
$-243.0M
Q2 24
$-16.8M
$-7.0M
Q1 24
$49.5M
$-15.0M
Gross Margin
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
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
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
-2.9%
Q3 25
6.0%
-0.5%
Q2 25
2.9%
Q1 25
7.5%
-2.1%
Q4 24
5.3%
-1.4%
Q3 24
2.8%
-1.9%
Q2 24
-0.4%
Q1 24
8.2%
-1.3%
Net Margin
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
-3.1%
Q3 25
4.1%
-1.0%
Q2 25
0.8%
-0.6%
Q1 25
4.2%
-2.2%
Q4 24
3.3%
-1.5%
Q3 24
1.5%
-23.4%
Q2 24
-1.8%
-0.8%
Q1 24
4.8%
-1.6%
EPS (diluted)
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
$-0.28
Q3 25
$0.35
$-0.08
Q2 25
$0.06
$-0.05
Q1 25
$0.31
$-0.18
Q4 24
$0.26
$-0.17
Q3 24
$0.10
$-1.81
Q2 24
$-0.12
$-0.06
Q1 24
$0.34
$-0.13

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$1.3B
$17.0M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$387.0M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$2.8B
$1.5B
Total Assets
$5.7B
$3.3B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.25×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
$17.0M
Q3 25
$1.3B
$25.0M
Q2 25
$1.3B
$18.0M
Q1 25
$1.2B
$16.0M
Q4 24
$1.3B
$35.0M
Q3 24
$1.1B
$55.0M
Q2 24
$1.3B
$7.0M
Q1 24
$1.4B
$7.0M
Total Debt
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
$387.0M
Q3 25
$387.0M
Q2 25
$387.0M
Q1 25
$387.0M
Q4 24
$351.0M
Q3 24
$352.0M
Q2 24
$370.0M
Q1 24
$351.0M
Stockholders' Equity
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
$1.5B
Q3 25
$2.8B
$1.6B
Q2 25
$2.8B
$1.6B
Q1 25
$2.8B
$1.6B
Q4 24
$2.8B
$1.6B
Q3 24
$2.9B
$1.7B
Q2 24
$2.9B
$579.0M
Q1 24
$2.9B
$582.0M
Total Assets
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
$3.3B
Q3 25
$5.7B
$3.2B
Q2 25
$5.7B
$3.2B
Q1 25
$5.6B
$3.3B
Q4 24
$5.6B
$3.4B
Q3 24
$5.6B
$3.4B
Q2 24
$5.6B
$1.8B
Q1 24
$5.6B
$1.8B
Debt / Equity
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
0.25×
Q3 25
0.24×
Q2 25
0.24×
Q1 25
0.24×
Q4 24
0.22×
Q3 24
0.21×
Q2 24
0.64×
Q1 24
0.60×

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
RXO
RXO
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$174.3M
$7.0M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$134.6M
$-9.0M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
11.0%
-0.6%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
3.3%
1.1%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
3.47×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$605.5M
$-8.0M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
$7.0M
Q3 25
$174.3M
$23.0M
Q2 25
$156.9M
$23.0M
Q1 25
$103.7M
$-2.0M
Q4 24
$349.4M
$-7.0M
Q3 24
$-159.4M
$-7.0M
Q2 24
$58.5M
$-5.0M
Q1 24
$266.1M
$7.0M
Free Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
$-9.0M
Q3 25
$134.6M
$9.0M
Q2 25
$128.2M
$9.0M
Q1 25
$76.8M
$-17.0M
Q4 24
$265.8M
$-19.0M
Q3 24
$-179.0M
$-18.0M
Q2 24
$41.6M
$-16.0M
Q1 24
$249.5M
$-4.0M
FCF Margin
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
-0.6%
Q3 25
11.0%
0.6%
Q2 25
11.4%
0.6%
Q1 25
7.2%
-1.2%
Q4 24
23.6%
-1.1%
Q3 24
-19.0%
-1.7%
Q2 24
4.6%
-1.7%
Q1 24
24.0%
-0.4%
Capex Intensity
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
1.1%
Q3 25
3.3%
1.0%
Q2 25
2.6%
1.0%
Q1 25
2.5%
1.0%
Q4 24
7.4%
0.7%
Q3 24
2.1%
1.1%
Q2 24
1.9%
1.2%
Q1 24
1.6%
1.2%
Cash Conversion
CIEN
CIEN
RXO
RXO
Q4 25
Q3 25
3.47×
Q2 25
17.50×
Q1 25
2.33×
Q4 24
9.44×
Q3 24
-11.20×
Q2 24
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%

RXO
RXO

Retail Sector$546.0M37%
Last Mile$298.0M20%
Food And Beverage Sector$225.0M15%
Other Sector$185.0M13%
Managed Transportation$133.0M9%
Automotive Sector$93.0M6%

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