AAPL vs. CIEN: Apple vs. Ciena Stock Comparison

June 13, 2026

This page compares Apple (AAPL) with Ciena (CIEN) using performance and risk, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividends, and valuation metrics.

Performance

Cumulative Growth

AAPL

CIEN

Apple (AAPL) vs. Ciena (CIEN): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Apple (AAPL) and Ciena (CIEN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Ciena (CIEN)
Metric	AAPL	CIEN
1-Year Return	46.73%	501.62%

Risk

Drawdown

AAPL

CIEN

Apple (AAPL) vs. Ciena (CIEN): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Ciena (CIEN)
Metric	AAPL	CIEN
1-Year Volatility	22.69%	66.85%
Beta	1.10	1.30
3-Month Avg. Volume	46.45M	2.84M

Company Profile

Apple (AAPL) and Ciena (CIEN) both fall under the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group, but AAPL is classified in Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals while CIEN is classified in Communications Equipment.

Company profile comparison for Apple (AAPL) and Ciena (CIEN)
Profile Item	AAPL	CIEN
Name	Apple Inc.	Ciena Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Technology Hardware & Equipment	Technology Hardware & Equipment
GICS Industry	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals	Communications Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals	Communications Equipment
Market Capitalization	4,275.93 billion USD	63.13 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	December 12, 1980	February 7, 1997
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

Apple (AAPL) at 35.20 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Ciena (CIEN) at 149.16 sits in the richer quartile — CIEN needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

35.20

Max: 171.43
Q3: 83.19
Median: 39.13
AAPL: 35.20
Q1: 23.68
Min: 9.35

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

149.16

Max: 171.43
CIEN: 149.16
Q3: 83.19
Median: 39.13
Q1: 23.68
Min: 9.35

Apple (AAPL) vs. Ciena (CIEN): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)

Both Apple (AAPL) at 9.47 and Ciena (CIEN) at 11.34 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

9.47

Max: 19.39
AAPL: 9.47
Q3: 9.05
Median: 4.10
Q1: 1.42
Min: 0.00

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

11.34

Max: 19.39
CIEN: 11.34
Q3: 9.05
Median: 4.10
Q1: 1.42
Min: 0.00

Apple (AAPL) vs. Ciena (CIEN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both Apple (AAPL) at 40.10 and Ciena (CIEN) at 21.83 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

40.10

AAPL: 40.10
Max: 17.76
Q3: 9.32
Median: 4.56
Q1: 2.09
Min: -3.27

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

21.83

CIEN: 21.83
Max: 17.76
Q3: 9.32
Median: 4.56
Q1: 2.09
Min: -3.27

Apple (AAPL) vs. Ciena (CIEN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Ciena (CIEN)
Metric	AAPL	CIEN
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)	35.20	149.16
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)	9.47	11.34
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)	40.10	21.83
Free Cash Flow Yield	2.36%	1.11%

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

Apple (AAPL) at 141.47% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Ciena (CIEN) at 15.46%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

141.47%

AAPL: 141.47%
Max: 44.16%
Q3: 19.25%
Median: 10.96%
Q1: 0.71%
Min: -25.92%

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

15.46%

Max: 44.16%
Q3: 19.25%
CIEN: 15.46%
Median: 10.96%
Q1: 0.71%
Min: -25.92%

Apple (AAPL) vs. Ciena (CIEN): A comparison of their ROE against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Profit Margin (TTM)

Apple (AAPL) at 27.15% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Ciena (CIEN) at 7.87%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

27.15%

Max: 30.43%
AAPL: 27.15%
Q3: 12.35%
Median: 4.45%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -14.09%

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

7.87%

Max: 30.43%
Q3: 12.35%
CIEN: 7.87%
Median: 4.45%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -14.09%

Apple (AAPL) vs. Ciena (CIEN): A comparison of their net margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

Apple (AAPL) at 32.28% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Ciena (CIEN) at 15.20%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

32.28%

Max: 35.67%
AAPL: 32.28%
Q3: 15.55%
Median: 6.62%
Q1: 1.55%
Min: -18.45%

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

15.20%

Max: 35.67%
Q3: 15.55%
CIEN: 15.20%
Median: 6.62%
Q1: 1.55%
Min: -18.45%

Apple (AAPL) vs. Ciena (CIEN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Ciena (CIEN)
Metric	AAPL	CIEN
Return on Equity (TTM)	141.47%	15.46%
Return on Assets (TTM)	26.23%	6.66%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	27.15%	7.87%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	32.28%	15.20%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	47.86%	43.05%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Apple (AAPL) vs. Ciena (CIEN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Ciena (CIEN)
Metric	AAPL	CIEN
1-Year Revenue Growth	6.43%	18.79%
3-Year Revenue CAGR	1.81%	9.50%

EPS Growth

Apple (AAPL) vs. Ciena (CIEN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Ciena (CIEN)
Metric	AAPL	CIEN
1-Year EPS Growth	22.70%	46.55%
3-Year EPS CAGR	6.88%	-5.27%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Ciena (CIEN) at 2.73 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Apple (AAPL) at 1.07 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for AAPL.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.07

Max: 5.80
Q3: 3.18
Median: 1.90
Q1: 1.28
AAPL: 1.07
Min: 0.40

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

2.73

Max: 5.80
Q3: 3.18
CIEN: 2.73
Median: 1.90
Q1: 1.28
Min: 0.40

Apple (AAPL) vs. Ciena (CIEN): A comparison of their current ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

Both Apple (AAPL) at 0.80 and Ciena (CIEN) at 0.55 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.80

Max: 2.02
Q3: 0.88
AAPL: 0.80
Median: 0.31
Q1: 0.05
Min: 0.00

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.55

Max: 2.02
Q3: 0.88
CIEN: 0.55
Median: 0.31
Q1: 0.05
Min: 0.00

Apple (AAPL) vs. Ciena (CIEN): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Ciena (CIEN)
Metric	AAPL	CIEN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.07	2.73
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)	0.80	0.55
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.10	0.48

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Ciena (CIEN) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Apple (AAPL) reports a yield of 0.37%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.37%

Max: 1.30%
Q3: 0.54%
AAPL: 0.37%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 1.30%
Q3: 0.54%
CIEN: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Apple (AAPL) vs. Ciena (CIEN): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Ciena (CIEN) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Apple (AAPL) reports a payout of 12.59%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

12.59%

Max: 37.10%
Q3: 15.46%
AAPL: 12.59%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 37.10%
Q3: 15.46%
CIEN: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Apple (AAPL) vs. Ciena (CIEN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Ciena (CIEN)
Metric	AAPL	CIEN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.37%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	12.59%	0.00%