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CIEN vs. DELL: Ciena vs. Dell Stock Comparison

How do Ciena (CIEN) and Dell (DELL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

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

Company profile comparison for Ciena (CIEN) and Dell (DELL)
Profile ItemCIENDELL
NameCiena Corp.Dell Technologies Inc. Class C Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyInformation Technology
GICS Industry GroupTechnology Hardware & EquipmentTechnology Hardware & Equipment
GICS IndustryCommunications EquipmentTechnology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
GICS Sub-IndustryCommunications EquipmentTechnology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
Market Capitalization34.51 billion USD208.88 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 7, 1997August 17, 2016
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CIEN
DELL
GSPC
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. Dell (DELL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: 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 Ciena (CIEN) and Dell (DELL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Ciena (CIEN) and Dell (DELL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Dell (DELL)
MetricCIENDELL
Total Return (1Y)36.49%142.85%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)84.56%72.12%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)35.01%47.28%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CIEN
DELL
GSPC
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. Dell (DELL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Ciena (CIEN) and Dell (DELL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Dell (DELL)
MetricCIENDELL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)81.12%80.23%
Beta (5Y)1.391.50
Max Drawdown (5Y)-63.19%-59.59%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.83M7.77M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CIEN and DELL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Dell (DELL)
MetricCIENDELL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.401.73
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.563.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Ciena (CIEN) earns 22.40% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Dell (DELL) has no ROE this period.

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

22.40%

Max
42.47%
CIEN
22.40%
Q3
19.13%
Median
11.00%
Q1
1.63%
Min
-20.62%

DELL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

--

Max
42.47%
Q3
19.13%
Median
11.00%
Q1
1.63%
Min
-20.62%
DELL
--
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. Dell (DELL): DELL does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; CIEN is benchmarked against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Ciena (CIEN) at 10.87% and Dell (DELL) at 7.53% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

10.87%

Max
27.60%
Q3
11.66%
CIEN
10.87%
Median
4.08%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-11.02%

DELL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

7.53%

Max
27.60%
Q3
11.66%
DELL
7.53%
Median
4.08%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-11.02%
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. Dell (DELL): A comparison of their net margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Ciena (CIEN) at 18.08% and Dell (DELL) at 12.02% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

18.08%

Max
36.27%
Q3
18.36%
CIEN
18.08%
Median
8.84%
Q1
1.46%
Min
-21.39%

DELL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

12.02%

Max
36.27%
Q3
18.36%
DELL
12.02%
Median
8.84%
Q1
1.46%
Min
-21.39%
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. Dell (DELL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Dell (DELL)
MetricCIENDELL
ROE (TTM)22.40%--
ROA (TTM)7.73%8.64%
Net Margin (TTM)10.87%7.53%
Operating Margin (TTM)18.08%12.02%
Gross Margin (TTM)44.07%19.91%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Ciena (CIEN) at 18.79% and Dell (DELL) at 18.80% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Ciena (CIEN) at 46.55% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Dell (DELL) at 36.05% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for CIEN.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Dell (DELL)
MetricCIENDELL
Revenue Growth (YoY)18.79%18.80%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.50%3.54%
EPS Growth (YoY)46.55%36.05%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-5.27%38.89%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Ciena (CIEN) at 3.80 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Dell (DELL) at 0.96 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

3.80

Max
5.34
CIEN
3.80
Q3
3.02
Median
1.95
Q1
1.32
Min
0.17

DELL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.96

Max
5.34
Q3
3.02
Median
1.95
Q1
1.32
DELL
0.96
Min
0.17
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. Dell (DELL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Ciena (CIEN) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07 against its industry range, while Dell (DELL) reports no figure this period.

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.07

Max
1.76
CIEN
1.07
Q3
0.78
Median
0.24
Q1
0.04
Min
0.01

DELL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

--

Max
1.76
Q3
0.78
Median
0.24
Q1
0.04
Min
0.01
DELL
--
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. Dell (DELL): DELL does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; CIEN is benchmarked against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Dell (DELL)
MetricCIENDELL
Current Ratio (MRQ)3.800.96
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.07--
Net Debt / EBITDA0.641.34

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 Dell (DELL) reports a yield of 0.73%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max
0.73%
Q3
0.31%
CIEN
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

DELL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.73%

DELL
0.73%
Max
0.73%
Q3
0.31%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. Dell (DELL): 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 Dell (DELL) reports a payout of 13.43%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max
32.27%
Q3
14.48%
CIEN
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

DELL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

13.43%

Max
32.27%
Q3
14.48%
DELL
13.43%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. Dell (DELL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Dell (DELL)
MetricCIENDELL
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.73%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%13.43%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Dell (DELL) at 19.10 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Ciena (CIEN) at 54.45 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

54.45

Max
69.48
CIEN
54.45
Q3
41.02
Median
26.39
Q1
19.36
Min
6.07

DELL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

19.10

Max
69.48
Q3
41.02
Median
26.39
Q1
19.36
DELL
19.10
Min
6.07
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. Dell (DELL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Ciena (CIEN) at 5.73 and Dell (DELL) at 1.38 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

5.73

Max
11.30
Q3
5.82
CIEN
5.73
Median
2.56
Q1
1.05
Min
0.00

DELL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.38

Max
11.30
Q3
5.82
Median
2.56
DELL
1.38
Q1
1.05
Min
0.00
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. Dell (DELL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Dell (DELL) reports a negative P/B ratio of -147.32, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Ciena (CIEN) reports 11.30, ranking against industry peers normally.

CIEN

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

11.30

CIEN
11.30
Max
10.75
Q3
5.52
Median
3.17
Q1
1.79
Min
0.33

DELL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

-147.32

Max
10.75
Q3
5.52
Median
3.17
Q1
1.79
Min
0.33
DELL
-147.32
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. Dell (DELL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Dell (DELL)
MetricCIENDELL
P/E Ratio (TTM)54.4519.10
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.731.38
P/B Ratio (MRQ)11.30-147.32
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.84%2.89%