CIEN vs. CSCO

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Ciena Corporation (CIEN) and Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO).

Performance

CIEN vs. CSCO - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Ciena Corporation (CIEN) and Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

CIEN vs. CSCO - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
CIEN Ciena Corporation	66.00%	175.76%	88.42%	-11.71%	-33.77%	45.64%	23.80%	25.89%	62.02%	-14.26%
CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.	1.27%	33.47%	21.00%	9.30%	-22.46%	45.76%	-3.49%	13.81%	16.57%	31.27%

Fundamentals

Market Cap CIEN : $56.60B CSCO : $309.35B
EPS CIEN : $1.58 CSCO : $2.77
PE Ratio CIEN : 246.08 CSCO : 27.98
PS Ratio CIEN : 11.00 CSCO : 5.25
PB Ratio CIEN : 20.27 CSCO : 6.48
Total Revenue (TTM) CIEN : $5.12B CSCO : $59.05B
Gross Profit (TTM) CIEN : $2.09B CSCO : $38.28B
EBITDA (TTM) CIEN : $450.47M CSCO : $14.30B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, CIEN achieves a 66.00% return, which is significantly higher than CSCO's 1.27% return. Over the past 10 years, CIEN has outperformed CSCO with an annualized return of 35.32%, while CSCO has yielded a comparatively lower 13.89% annualized return.

CIEN

• 1D: 6.36%
• 1M: 11.34%
• YTD: 66.00%
• 6M: 166.51%
• 1Y: 542.45%
• 3Y*: 94.80%
• 5Y*: 46.98%
• 10Y*: 35.32%

CSCO

• 1D: 0.71%
• 1M: -2.35%
• YTD: 1.27%
• 6M: 14.70%
• 1Y: 28.79%
• 3Y*: 17.35%
• 5Y*: 11.52%
• 10Y*: 13.89%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

CIEN vs. CSCO — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

CIEN

CIEN Risk / Return Rank: 99
CIEN Sharpe Ratio Rank: 100
CIEN Sortino Ratio Rank: 99
CIEN Omega Ratio Rank: 99
CIEN Calmar Ratio Rank: 100
CIEN Martin Ratio Rank: 100

CSCO

CSCO Risk / Return Rank: 75
CSCO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 77
CSCO Sortino Ratio Rank: 67
CSCO Omega Ratio Rank: 72
CSCO Calmar Ratio Rank: 81
CSCO Martin Ratio Rank: 80

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

CIEN vs. CSCO - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Ciena Corporation (CIEN) and Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	CIEN	CSCO	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	8.51	1.03	+7.47
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	5.15	1.44	+3.71
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.83	1.22	+0.61
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	29.93	2.25	+27.68
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	87.09	5.80	+81.30
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

CIEN vs. CSCO - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current CIEN Sharpe Ratio is 8.51, which is higher than the CSCO Sharpe Ratio of 1.03. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of CIEN and CSCO, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	CIEN	CSCO	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	8.51	1.03	+7.47
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	1.01	0.50	+0.52
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.82	0.55	+0.26
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.06	0.57	-0.51

Correlation

The correlation between CIEN and CSCO is 0.46, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

CIEN vs. CSCO - Dividend Comparison

CIEN has not paid dividends to shareholders, while CSCO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.11%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
CIEN Ciena Corporation	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.	2.11%	2.12%	2.69%	3.07%	3.17%	2.32%	3.20%	2.88%	2.95%	2.95%	3.28%	3.02%

Drawdowns

CIEN vs. CSCO - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum CIEN drawdown since its inception was -99.51%, which is greater than CSCO's maximum drawdown of -89.26%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for CIEN and CSCO.

Drawdown Indicators

	CIEN	CSCO	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-99.51%	-89.26%	-10.25%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-17.73%	-13.57%	-4.16%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-49.54%	-36.68%	-12.86%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-49.54%	-41.95%	-7.59%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-62.90%	-10.59%	-52.31%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-87.35%	-40.33%	-47.02%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	6.09%	5.28%	+0.81%

Volatility

CIEN vs. CSCO - Volatility Comparison

Ciena Corporation (CIEN) has a higher volatility of 30.07% compared to Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) at 8.22%. This indicates that CIEN's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than CSCO based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	CIEN	CSCO	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	30.07%	8.22%	+21.85%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	49.75%	21.41%	+28.34%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	64.38%	28.03%	+36.35%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	46.60%	23.34%	+23.26%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	43.44%	25.19%	+18.25%

Financials

CIEN vs. CSCO - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Ciena Corporation and Cisco Systems, Inc. over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

CIEN - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Ciena Corporation reported a gross profit of 625.52M and revenue of 1.43B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 43.8%.

CSCO - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Cisco Systems, Inc. reported a gross profit of 9.97B and revenue of 15.35B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 65.0%.

CIEN - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Ciena Corporation reported an operating income of 189.41M and revenue of 1.43B, resulting in an operating margin of 13.3%.

CSCO - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Cisco Systems, Inc. reported an operating income of 3.78B and revenue of 15.35B, resulting in an operating margin of 24.6%.

CIEN - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Ciena Corporation reported a net income of 150.28M and revenue of 1.43B, resulting in a net margin of 10.5%.

CSCO - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Cisco Systems, Inc. reported a net income of 3.18B and revenue of 15.35B, resulting in a net margin of 20.7%.