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

Veralto is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.4B vs $1.2B, roughly 1.2× CIENA CORP). Veralto runs the higher net margin — 17.9% vs 4.1%, a 13.7% gap on every dollar of revenue. Veralto produced more free cash flow last quarter ($170.0M vs $134.6M). Over the past eight quarters, Veralto's revenue compounded faster (6.8% 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).

Veralto Corporation is an American technology company headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. It produces products related to water analytics, water treatment, marking and coding, and packaging and color.

CIEN vs VLTO — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
VLTO
VLTO
1.2× larger
VLTO
$1.4B
$1.2B
CIEN
Higher net margin
VLTO
VLTO
13.7% more per $
VLTO
17.9%
4.1%
CIEN
More free cash flow
VLTO
VLTO
$35.4M more FCF
VLTO
$170.0M
$134.6M
CIEN
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
VLTO
VLTO
Annualised
VLTO
6.8%
3.9%
CIEN

Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q1 FY2026

Metric
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Revenue
$1.2B
$1.4B
Net Profit
$50.3M
$254.0M
Gross Margin
41.3%
60.1%
Operating Margin
6.0%
23.8%
Net Margin
4.1%
17.9%
Revenue YoY
6.8%
Net Profit YoY
12.9%
EPS (diluted)
$0.35
$1.02

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
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
$1.4B
Q4 25
$1.4B
Q3 25
$1.2B
$1.4B
Q2 25
$1.1B
$1.3B
Q1 25
$1.1B
Q4 24
$1.1B
$1.3B
Q3 24
$942.3M
$1.3B
Q2 24
$910.8M
$1.3B
Net Profit
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
$254.0M
Q4 25
$239.0M
Q3 25
$50.3M
$222.0M
Q2 25
$9.0M
$225.0M
Q1 25
$44.6M
Q4 24
$37.0M
$227.0M
Q3 24
$14.2M
$219.0M
Q2 24
$-16.8M
$203.0M
Gross Margin
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
60.1%
Q4 25
60.1%
Q3 25
41.3%
60.0%
Q2 25
40.2%
60.4%
Q1 25
44.0%
Q4 24
40.9%
59.6%
Q3 24
42.9%
59.6%
Q2 24
42.7%
60.1%
Operating Margin
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
23.8%
Q4 25
23.2%
Q3 25
6.0%
22.8%
Q2 25
2.9%
24.2%
Q1 25
7.5%
Q4 24
5.3%
22.9%
Q3 24
2.8%
23.4%
Q2 24
-0.4%
23.2%
Net Margin
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
17.9%
Q4 25
17.0%
Q3 25
4.1%
16.2%
Q2 25
0.8%
16.9%
Q1 25
4.2%
Q4 24
3.3%
16.9%
Q3 24
1.5%
16.7%
Q2 24
-1.8%
15.8%
EPS (diluted)
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
$1.02
Q4 25
$0.95
Q3 25
$0.35
$0.89
Q2 25
$0.06
$0.90
Q1 25
$0.31
Q4 24
$0.26
$0.91
Q3 24
$0.10
$0.88
Q2 24
$-0.12
$0.81

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

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

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

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
Q4 25
$1.8B
Q3 25
$1.3B
$1.6B
Q2 25
$1.3B
$1.2B
Q1 25
$1.2B
Q4 24
$1.3B
$1.1B
Q3 24
$1.1B
$1.3B
Q2 24
$1.3B
$1.0B
Total Debt
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
Q4 25
$2.7B
Q3 25
$2.7B
Q2 25
$2.6B
Q1 25
Q4 24
$2.6B
Q3 24
$2.6B
Q2 24
$2.6B
Stockholders' Equity
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
Q4 25
$2.8B
Q3 25
$2.8B
$2.7B
Q2 25
$2.8B
$2.3B
Q1 25
$2.8B
Q4 24
$2.8B
$2.0B
Q3 24
$2.9B
$2.0B
Q2 24
$2.9B
$1.7B
Total Assets
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
Q4 25
$7.4B
Q3 25
$5.7B
$7.2B
Q2 25
$5.7B
$6.6B
Q1 25
$5.6B
Q4 24
$5.6B
$6.4B
Q3 24
$5.6B
$6.3B
Q2 24
$5.6B
$5.9B
Debt / Equity
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
Q4 25
0.94×
Q3 25
1.01×
Q2 25
1.14×
Q1 25
Q4 24
1.28×
Q3 24
1.35×
Q2 24
1.57×

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
VLTO
VLTO
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$174.3M
$182.0M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$134.6M
$170.0M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
11.0%
12.0%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
3.3%
0.8%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
3.47×
0.72×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$605.5M
$893.0M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
$182.0M
Q4 25
$270.0M
Q3 25
$174.3M
$339.0M
Q2 25
$156.9M
$157.0M
Q1 25
$103.7M
Q4 24
$349.4M
$285.0M
Q3 24
$-159.4M
$224.0M
Q2 24
$58.5M
$251.0M
Free Cash Flow
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
$170.0M
Q4 25
$258.0M
Q3 25
$134.6M
$323.0M
Q2 25
$128.2M
$142.0M
Q1 25
$76.8M
Q4 24
$265.8M
$263.0M
Q3 24
$-179.0M
$215.0M
Q2 24
$41.6M
$240.0M
FCF Margin
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
12.0%
Q4 25
18.4%
Q3 25
11.0%
23.6%
Q2 25
11.4%
10.7%
Q1 25
7.2%
Q4 24
23.6%
19.6%
Q3 24
-19.0%
16.4%
Q2 24
4.6%
18.6%
Capex Intensity
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
0.8%
Q4 25
0.9%
Q3 25
3.3%
1.2%
Q2 25
2.6%
1.1%
Q1 25
2.5%
Q4 24
7.4%
1.6%
Q3 24
2.1%
0.7%
Q2 24
1.9%
0.9%
Cash Conversion
CIEN
CIEN
VLTO
VLTO
Q1 26
0.72×
Q4 25
1.13×
Q3 25
3.47×
1.53×
Q2 25
17.50×
0.70×
Q1 25
2.33×
Q4 24
9.44×
1.26×
Q3 24
-11.20×
1.02×
Q2 24
1.24×

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%

VLTO
VLTO

Segment breakdown not available.

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