ASX vs. CIEN: A Head-to-Head Stock Comparison

Updated on July 8, 2025

Here’s a clear look at ASX and CIEN, comparing key factors like historical performance, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividend, and valuation.

Company Overview

ASX’s market capitalization of 22.53 billion USD is substantially larger than CIEN’s 11.50 billion USD, indicating a significant difference in their market valuations.

With betas of 0.92 for ASX and 1.12 for CIEN, both stocks show similar sensitivity to overall market movements.

ASX trades as an American Depositary Receipt (ADR), offering U.S. investors a convenient way to access its foreign-listed shares. In contrast, CIEN is a standard domestic listing.

Symbol	ASX	CIEN
Company Name	ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd.	Ciena Corporation
Country	TW	US
Sector	Technology	Technology
Industry	Semiconductors	Communication Equipment
CEO	Hung-Pen Chang	Gary B. Smith
Price	10.37 USD	81.38 USD
Market Cap	22.53 billion USD	11.50 billion USD
Beta	0.92	1.12
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
IPO Date	October 2, 2000	February 7, 1997
ADR	Yes	No

Historical Performance

This chart compares the performance of ASX and CIEN by tracking the growth of an initial $10,000 investment in each. Use the tabs to select the desired time period.

Data is adjusted for dividends and splits.

ASX vs. CIEN: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past one year.

Profitability

Return on Equity

ASX

11.03%

Semiconductors Industry

Max: 41.84%
Q3: 15.81%
Median: 6.31%
Q1: -5.54%
Min: -30.12%

ASX’s Return on Equity of 11.03% is on par with the norm for the Semiconductors industry, indicating its profitability relative to shareholder equity is typical for the sector.

CIEN

3.72%

Communication Equipment Industry

Max: 30.07%
Q3: 8.07%
Median: 1.84%
Q1: -11.93%
Min: -31.65%

CIEN’s Return on Equity of 3.72% is on par with the norm for the Communication Equipment industry, indicating its profitability relative to shareholder equity is typical for the sector.

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their ROE against their respective Semiconductors and Communication Equipment industry benchmarks.

Return on Invested Capital

ASX

5.98%

Semiconductors Industry

Max: 30.91%
Q3: 11.34%
Median: 4.08%
Q1: -2.17%
Min: -19.59%

ASX’s Return on Invested Capital of 5.98% is in line with the norm for the Semiconductors industry, reflecting a standard level of efficiency in generating profits from its capital base.

CIEN

2.97%

Communication Equipment Industry

Max: 11.59%
Q3: 6.61%
Median: 2.97%
Q1: -2.58%
Min: -13.18%

CIEN’s Return on Invested Capital of 2.97% is in line with the norm for the Communication Equipment industry, reflecting a standard level of efficiency in generating profits from its capital base.

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their ROIC against their respective Semiconductors and Communication Equipment industry benchmarks.

Net Profit Margin

ASX

5.61%

Semiconductors Industry

Max: 51.69%
Q3: 19.67%
Median: 8.56%
Q1: -5.44%
Min: -38.60%

ASX’s Net Profit Margin of 5.61% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Semiconductors industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.

CIEN

2.46%

Communication Equipment Industry

Max: 23.65%
Q3: 9.21%
Median: 2.46%
Q1: -8.56%
Min: -29.87%

CIEN’s Net Profit Margin of 2.46% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Communication Equipment industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their Net Profit Margin against their respective Semiconductors and Communication Equipment industry benchmarks.

Operating Profit Margin

ASX

7.01%

Semiconductors Industry

Max: 58.03%
Q3: 22.12%
Median: 8.40%
Q1: -3.73%
Min: -36.14%

ASX’s Operating Profit Margin of 7.01% is around the midpoint for the Semiconductors industry, indicating that its efficiency in managing core business operations is typical for the sector.

CIEN

4.68%

Communication Equipment Industry

Max: 30.72%
Q3: 11.64%
Median: 5.79%
Q1: -2.28%
Min: -18.20%

CIEN’s Operating Profit Margin of 4.68% is around the midpoint for the Communication Equipment industry, indicating that its efficiency in managing core business operations is typical for the sector.

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their Operating Margin against their respective Semiconductors and Communication Equipment industry benchmarks.

Profitability at a Glance

Symbol	ASX	CIEN
Return on Equity (TTM)	11.03%	3.72%
Return on Assets (TTM)	4.43%	1.85%
Return on Invested Capital (TTM)	5.98%	2.97%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	5.61%	2.46%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	7.01%	4.68%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	16.32%	41.94%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio

ASX

1.04

Semiconductors Industry

Max: 9.10
Q3: 5.23
Median: 3.09
Q1: 2.49
Min: 1.02

ASX’s Current Ratio of 1.04 falls into the lower quartile for the Semiconductors industry. This indicates a tighter liquidity situation and a more constrained capacity to handle short-term debt than many of its competitors.

CIEN

3.40

Communication Equipment Industry

Max: 3.40
Q3: 2.59
Median: 1.62
Q1: 1.32
Min: 0.86

CIEN’s Current Ratio of 3.40 is in the upper quartile for the Communication Equipment industry. This signifies a strong liquidity position, suggesting the company is well-equipped to cover its immediate liabilities compared to its peers.

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their Current Ratio against their respective Semiconductors and Communication Equipment industry benchmarks.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio

ASX

0.72

Semiconductors Industry

Max: 0.97
Q3: 0.46
Median: 0.21
Q1: 0.05
Min: 0.00

ASX’s leverage is in the upper quartile of the Semiconductors industry, with a Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.72. While this approach can boost equity growth, it also exposes the company to greater financial vulnerability.

CIEN

0.57

Communication Equipment Industry

Max: 1.82
Q3: 1.00
Median: 0.53
Q1: 0.20
Min: 0.02

CIEN’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.57 is typical for the Communication Equipment industry, indicating its use of leverage is in line with the sector norm. This suggests a balanced approach to its capital structure.

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their D/E Ratio against their respective Semiconductors and Communication Equipment industry benchmarks.

Interest Coverage Ratio

ASX

7.79

Semiconductors Industry

Max: 36.25
Q3: 29.12
Median: 7.01
Q1: -1.22
Min: -18.18

ASX’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 7.79 is positioned comfortably within the norm for the Semiconductors industry, indicating a standard and healthy capacity to cover its interest payments.

CIEN

2.07

Communication Equipment Industry

Max: 16.12
Q3: 9.22
Median: 2.52
Q1: -0.75
Min: -12.07

CIEN’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 2.07 is positioned comfortably within the norm for the Communication Equipment industry, indicating a standard and healthy capacity to cover its interest payments.

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their Interest Coverage against their respective Semiconductors and Communication Equipment industry benchmarks.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Symbol	ASX	CIEN
Current Ratio (TTM)	1.04	3.40
Quick Ratio (TTM)	0.82	2.57
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (TTM)	0.72	0.57
Debt-to-Asset Ratio (TTM)	0.29	0.28
Net Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio (TTM)	1.32	1.67
Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)	7.79	2.07

Growth

The following charts compare key year-over-year (YoY) growth metrics for ASX and CIEN. These metrics are based on the companies’ annual financial reports.

Revenue Growth

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Revenue Growth.

Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth.

Free Cash Flow Growth

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Free Cash Flow Growth.

Dividend

Dividend Yield

ASX

3.60%

Semiconductors Industry

Max: 6.48%
Q3: 0.93%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

With a Dividend Yield of 3.60%, ASX offers a more attractive income stream than most of its peers in the Semiconductors industry, signaling a strong commitment to shareholder returns.

CIEN

0.00%

Communication Equipment Industry

Max: 4.72%
Q3: 0.38%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CIEN currently does not pay a dividend, resulting in a yield of 0%. This is a common strategy for growth-focused companies that prioritize reinvesting earnings, though it may be less typical in mature, income-oriented sectors.

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their Dividend Yield against their respective Semiconductors and Communication Equipment industry benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio

ASX

65.52%

Semiconductors Industry

Max: 204.29%
Q3: 31.85%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ASX’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 65.52% is in the upper quartile for the Semiconductors industry. This indicates a strong commitment to shareholder returns but also suggests that a smaller portion of earnings is retained for reinvestment compared to many peers.

CIEN

0.00%

Communication Equipment Industry

Max: 91.96%
Q3: 26.44%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CIEN has a Dividend Payout Ratio of 0%, indicating it does not currently pay a dividend. This is a common strategy for growth-oriented companies that reinvest all profits back into the business.

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their Payout Ratio against their respective Semiconductors and Communication Equipment industry benchmarks.

Dividend at a Glance

Symbol	ASX	CIEN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	3.60%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	65.52%	0.00%

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio

ASX

18.57

Semiconductors Industry

Max: 86.15
Q3: 47.38
Median: 27.87
Q1: 18.89
Min: 4.73

In the lower quartile for the Semiconductors industry, ASX’s P/E Ratio of 18.57 suggests the stock may be undervalued compared to its peers, potentially presenting an attractive entry point for investors.

CIEN

110.66

Communication Equipment Industry

Max: 44.37
Q3: 41.98
Median: 30.61
Q1: 23.44
Min: 2.14

At 110.66, CIEN’s P/E Ratio is exceptionally high, exceeding the typical maximum for the Communication Equipment industry. This suggests the stock may be significantly overvalued compared to its peers and implies high market expectations that could be difficult to meet.

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their P/E Ratio against their respective Semiconductors and Communication Equipment industry benchmarks.

Forward P/E to Growth Ratio

ASX

0.73

Semiconductors Industry

Max: 4.73
Q3: 2.80
Median: 1.11
Q1: 0.68
Min: 0.01

The Forward PEG Ratio is often not a primary valuation metric in the Semiconductors industry.

CIEN

2.86

Communication Equipment Industry

Max: 15.97
Q3: 6.99
Median: 2.78
Q1: 0.66
Min: 0.05

The Forward PEG Ratio is often not a primary valuation metric in the Communication Equipment industry.

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their Forward PEG Ratio against their respective Semiconductors and Communication Equipment industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Sales Ratio

ASX

1.05

Semiconductors Industry

Max: 21.96
Q3: 10.21
Median: 4.45
Q1: 2.32
Min: 0.48

In the lower quartile for the Semiconductors industry, ASX’s P/S Ratio of 1.05 indicates its revenue is valued more conservatively than most of its peers. This could present a compelling opportunity if the market has overlooked its sales-generating capabilities.

CIEN

2.70

Communication Equipment Industry

Max: 6.38
Q3: 3.88
Median: 2.17
Q1: 1.15
Min: 0.37

CIEN’s P/S Ratio of 2.70 aligns with the market consensus for the Communication Equipment industry. This suggests its valuation, based on sales, is seen as standard and is on par with its competitors.

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their P/S Ratio against their respective Semiconductors and Communication Equipment industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Book Ratio

ASX

2.04

Semiconductors Industry

Max: 13.12
Q3: 6.49
Median: 3.31
Q1: 1.74
Min: 0.23

ASX’s P/B Ratio of 2.04 is within the conventional range for the Semiconductors industry. This shows a balanced market view, where the stock’s price is neither at a significant premium nor a discount to the book value of its peers.

CIEN

4.18

Communication Equipment Industry

Max: 14.42
Q3: 7.01
Median: 3.09
Q1: 1.38
Min: 0.41

CIEN’s P/B Ratio of 4.18 is within the conventional range for the Communication Equipment industry. This shows a balanced market view, where the stock’s price is neither at a significant premium nor a discount to the book value of its peers.

ASX vs. CIEN: A comparison of their P/B Ratio against their respective Semiconductors and Communication Equipment industry benchmarks.

Valuation at a Glance

Symbol	ASX	CIEN
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (P/E, TTM)	18.57	110.66
Forward PEG Ratio (TTM)	0.73	2.86
Price-to-Sales Ratio (P/S, TTM)	1.05	2.70
Price-to-Book Ratio (P/B, TTM)	2.04	4.18
Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (P/FCF, TTM)	-63.40	39.41
EV-to-EBITDA (TTM)	7.08	31.73
EV-to-Sales (TTM)	1.29	2.85