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

CIENA CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.2B vs $1.2B, roughly 1.0× UPBOUND GROUP, INC.). CIENA CORP runs the higher net margin — 4.1% vs 1.7%, a 2.5% gap on every dollar of revenue. CIENA CORP produced more free cash flow last quarter ($134.6M vs $24.0M). Over the past eight quarters, UPBOUND GROUP, INC.'s revenue compounded faster (4.5% 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).

Upbound Group, Inc. is a leading US provider of flexible lease-to-own solutions for consumer goods. It offers furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances, and accessories, catering to customers seeking accessible payment alternatives to traditional retail financing.

CIEN vs UPBD — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
CIEN
CIEN
1.0× larger
CIEN
$1.2B
$1.2B
UPBD
Higher net margin
CIEN
CIEN
2.5% more per $
CIEN
4.1%
1.7%
UPBD
More free cash flow
CIEN
CIEN
$110.5M more FCF
CIEN
$134.6M
$24.0M
UPBD
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
UPBD
UPBD
Annualised
UPBD
4.5%
3.9%
CIEN

Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Revenue
$1.2B
$1.2B
Net Profit
$50.3M
$19.7M
Gross Margin
41.3%
49.0%
Operating Margin
6.0%
4.8%
Net Margin
4.1%
1.7%
Revenue YoY
10.9%
Net Profit YoY
-36.3%
EPS (diluted)
$0.35
$0.35

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
UPBD
UPBD
Q4 25
$1.2B
Q3 25
$1.2B
$1.2B
Q2 25
$1.1B
$1.2B
Q1 25
$1.1B
$1.2B
Q4 24
$1.1B
$1.1B
Q3 24
$942.3M
$1.1B
Q2 24
$910.8M
$1.1B
Q1 24
$1.0B
$1.1B
Net Profit
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Q4 25
$19.7M
Q3 25
$50.3M
$13.2M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$15.5M
Q1 25
$44.6M
$24.8M
Q4 24
$37.0M
$31.0M
Q3 24
$14.2M
$30.9M
Q2 24
$-16.8M
$33.9M
Q1 24
$49.5M
$27.7M
Gross Margin
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Q4 25
49.0%
Q3 25
41.3%
48.3%
Q2 25
40.2%
49.4%
Q1 25
44.0%
46.8%
Q4 24
40.9%
47.1%
Q3 24
42.9%
47.8%
Q2 24
42.7%
49.4%
Q1 24
45.0%
48.3%
Operating Margin
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Q4 25
4.8%
Q3 25
6.0%
4.5%
Q2 25
2.9%
4.4%
Q1 25
7.5%
5.3%
Q4 24
5.3%
7.3%
Q3 24
2.8%
6.6%
Q2 24
-0.4%
7.5%
Q1 24
8.2%
5.6%
Net Margin
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Q4 25
1.7%
Q3 25
4.1%
1.1%
Q2 25
0.8%
1.3%
Q1 25
4.2%
2.1%
Q4 24
3.3%
2.9%
Q3 24
1.5%
2.9%
Q2 24
-1.8%
3.2%
Q1 24
4.8%
2.5%
EPS (diluted)
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Q4 25
$0.35
Q3 25
$0.35
$0.22
Q2 25
$0.06
$0.26
Q1 25
$0.31
$0.42
Q4 24
$0.26
$0.55
Q3 24
$0.10
$0.55
Q2 24
$-0.12
$0.61
Q1 24
$0.34
$0.50

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$1.3B
$120.5M
Total DebtLower is stronger
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$2.8B
$695.7M
Total Assets
$5.7B
$3.3B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Q4 25
$120.5M
Q3 25
$1.3B
$107.0M
Q2 25
$1.3B
$106.8M
Q1 25
$1.2B
$107.3M
Q4 24
$1.3B
$60.9M
Q3 24
$1.1B
$85.1M
Q2 24
$1.3B
$82.5M
Q1 24
$1.4B
$84.8M
Stockholders' Equity
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Q4 25
$695.7M
Q3 25
$2.8B
$687.3M
Q2 25
$2.8B
$685.5M
Q1 25
$2.8B
$679.2M
Q4 24
$2.8B
$629.0M
Q3 24
$2.9B
$611.8M
Q2 24
$2.9B
$596.3M
Q1 24
$2.9B
$578.3M
Total Assets
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Q4 25
$3.3B
Q3 25
$5.7B
$3.2B
Q2 25
$5.7B
$3.1B
Q1 25
$5.6B
$3.0B
Q4 24
$5.6B
$2.6B
Q3 24
$5.6B
$2.6B
Q2 24
$5.6B
$2.6B
Q1 24
$5.6B
$2.6B

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
UPBD
UPBD
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$174.3M
$41.6M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$134.6M
$24.0M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
11.0%
2.0%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
3.3%
1.5%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
3.47×
2.11×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$605.5M
$238.7M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Q4 25
$41.6M
Q3 25
$174.3M
$118.4M
Q2 25
$156.9M
$7.8M
Q1 25
$103.7M
$137.7M
Q4 24
$349.4M
$-61.9M
Q3 24
$-159.4M
$106.2M
Q2 24
$58.5M
$15.0M
Q1 24
$266.1M
$45.4M
Free Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Q4 25
$24.0M
Q3 25
$134.6M
$97.9M
Q2 25
$128.2M
$-10.4M
Q1 25
$76.8M
$127.2M
Q4 24
$265.8M
$-74.0M
Q3 24
$-179.0M
$88.3M
Q2 24
$41.6M
$613.0K
Q1 24
$249.5M
$33.6M
FCF Margin
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Q4 25
2.0%
Q3 25
11.0%
8.4%
Q2 25
11.4%
-0.9%
Q1 25
7.2%
10.8%
Q4 24
23.6%
-6.9%
Q3 24
-19.0%
8.3%
Q2 24
4.6%
0.1%
Q1 24
24.0%
3.1%
Capex Intensity
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Q4 25
1.5%
Q3 25
3.3%
1.8%
Q2 25
2.6%
1.6%
Q1 25
2.5%
0.9%
Q4 24
7.4%
1.1%
Q3 24
2.1%
1.7%
Q2 24
1.9%
1.3%
Q1 24
1.6%
1.1%
Cash Conversion
CIEN
CIEN
UPBD
UPBD
Q4 25
2.11×
Q3 25
3.47×
8.96×
Q2 25
17.50×
0.50×
Q1 25
2.33×
5.56×
Q4 24
9.44×
-2.00×
Q3 24
-11.20×
3.44×
Q2 24
0.44×
Q1 24
5.37×
1.64×

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%

UPBD
UPBD

Segment breakdown not available.

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