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

CIENA CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.2B vs $16.2M, roughly 75.2× DNA X, Inc.). CIENA CORP runs the higher net margin — 4.1% vs -29.3%, a 33.4% gap on every dollar of revenue. Over the past eight quarters, DNA X, Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (9.9% 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).

CIEN vs SONM — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
CIEN
CIEN
75.2× larger
CIEN
$1.2B
$16.2M
SONM
Higher net margin
CIEN
CIEN
33.4% more per $
CIEN
4.1%
-29.3%
SONM
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
SONM
SONM
Annualised
SONM
9.9%
3.9%
CIEN

Income Statement — Q4 2025 vs Q3 2025

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Revenue
$1.2B
$16.2M
Net Profit
$50.3M
$-4.8M
Gross Margin
41.3%
11.2%
Operating Margin
6.0%
-24.5%
Net Margin
4.1%
-29.3%
Revenue YoY
7.9%
Net Profit YoY
-89.2%
EPS (diluted)
$0.35
$-4.83

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
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
$1.2B
$16.2M
Q2 25
$1.1B
$11.2M
Q1 25
$1.1B
$16.7M
Q4 24
$1.1B
$15.3M
Q3 24
$942.3M
$15.0M
Q2 24
$910.8M
$11.5M
Q1 24
$1.0B
$9.1M
Q4 23
$1.1B
$13.4M
Net Profit
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
$50.3M
$-4.8M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$-7.5M
Q1 25
$44.6M
$458.0K
Q4 24
$37.0M
$-21.6M
Q3 24
$14.2M
$-2.5M
Q2 24
$-16.8M
$-6.6M
Q1 24
$49.5M
$-2.9M
Q4 23
$91.2M
$-1.4M
Gross Margin
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
41.3%
11.2%
Q2 25
40.2%
7.6%
Q1 25
44.0%
50.0%
Q4 24
40.9%
-1.2%
Q3 24
42.9%
28.2%
Q2 24
42.7%
25.8%
Q1 24
45.0%
31.8%
Q4 23
43.1%
38.1%
Operating Margin
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
6.0%
-24.5%
Q2 25
2.9%
-60.2%
Q1 25
7.5%
3.9%
Q4 24
5.3%
55.3%
Q3 24
2.8%
-15.8%
Q2 24
-0.4%
-56.2%
Q1 24
8.2%
-29.5%
Q4 23
8.1%
-9.3%
Net Margin
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
4.1%
-29.3%
Q2 25
0.8%
-66.8%
Q1 25
4.2%
2.7%
Q4 24
3.3%
-141.6%
Q3 24
1.5%
-16.7%
Q2 24
-1.8%
-57.5%
Q1 24
4.8%
-31.9%
Q4 23
8.1%
-10.1%
EPS (diluted)
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
$0.35
$-4.83
Q2 25
$0.06
$-0.79
Q1 25
$0.31
$0.08
Q4 24
$0.26
$-116.99
Q3 24
$0.10
$-9.32
Q2 24
$-0.12
$-1.41
Q1 24
$0.34
$-0.65
Q4 23
$0.62
$-0.26

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$1.3B
$2.1M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$5.1M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$2.8B
$-701.0K
Total Assets
$5.7B
$40.2M
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
$1.3B
$2.1M
Q2 25
$1.3B
$2.0M
Q1 25
$1.2B
$2.1M
Q4 24
$1.3B
$5.3M
Q3 24
$1.1B
$9.1M
Q2 24
$1.3B
$9.6M
Q1 24
$1.4B
$9.3M
Q4 23
$1.1B
$9.4M
Total Debt
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
$5.1M
Q2 25
$2.9M
Q1 25
$2.8M
Q4 24
Q3 24
Q2 24
Q1 24
Q4 23
Stockholders' Equity
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
$2.8B
$-701.0K
Q2 25
$2.8B
$-1.3M
Q1 25
$2.8B
$-1.1M
Q4 24
$2.8B
$-5.7M
Q3 24
$2.9B
$15.3M
Q2 24
$2.9B
$17.5M
Q1 24
$2.9B
$19.8M
Q4 23
$2.8B
$22.4M
Total Assets
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
$5.7B
$40.2M
Q2 25
$5.7B
$36.1M
Q1 25
$5.6B
$36.0M
Q4 24
$5.6B
$39.7M
Q3 24
$5.6B
$49.1M
Q2 24
$5.6B
$45.9M
Q1 24
$5.6B
$42.4M
Q4 23
$5.6B
$56.0M

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
SONM
SONM
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$174.3M
$-7.0M
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
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
$174.3M
$-7.0M
Q2 25
$156.9M
$-4.9M
Q1 25
$103.7M
$-9.6M
Q4 24
$349.4M
$-4.5M
Q3 24
$-159.4M
$-417.0K
Q2 24
$58.5M
$-3.4M
Q1 24
$266.1M
$-168.0K
Q4 23
$195.5M
$-351.0K
Free Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
$134.6M
Q2 25
$128.2M
Q1 25
$76.8M
Q4 24
$265.8M
$-4.5M
Q3 24
$-179.0M
$-554.0K
Q2 24
$41.6M
$-3.4M
Q1 24
$249.5M
$-198.0K
Q4 23
$172.7M
FCF Margin
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
11.0%
Q2 25
11.4%
Q1 25
7.2%
Q4 24
23.6%
-29.6%
Q3 24
-19.0%
-3.7%
Q2 24
4.6%
-29.8%
Q1 24
24.0%
-2.2%
Q4 23
15.3%
Capex Intensity
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
3.3%
Q2 25
2.6%
Q1 25
2.5%
Q4 24
7.4%
0.1%
Q3 24
2.1%
0.9%
Q2 24
1.9%
0.3%
Q1 24
1.6%
0.3%
Q4 23
2.0%
Cash Conversion
CIEN
CIEN
SONM
SONM
Q3 25
3.47×
Q2 25
17.50×
Q1 25
2.33×
-20.97×
Q4 24
9.44×
Q3 24
-11.20×
Q2 24
Q1 24
5.37×
Q4 23
2.14×

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%

SONM
SONM

Segment breakdown not available.

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