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CIEN vs. FFIV: Ciena vs. F5 Stock Comparison

How do Ciena (CIEN) and F5 (FFIV) 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 F5 (FFIV) are both classified in the Communications Equipment sub-industry within the broader Communications Equipment industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Ciena (CIEN) and F5 (FFIV)
Profile ItemCIENFFIV
NameCiena Corp.F5, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyInformation Technology
GICS Industry GroupTechnology Hardware & EquipmentTechnology Hardware & Equipment
GICS IndustryCommunications EquipmentCommunications Equipment
GICS Sub-IndustryCommunications EquipmentCommunications Equipment
Market Capitalization34.51 billion USD17.66 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateFebruary 7, 1997June 4, 1999
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CIEN
FFIV
GSPC
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. F5 (FFIV), 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 F5 (FFIV). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Ciena (CIEN) and F5 (FFIV). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricCIENFFIV
Total Return (1Y)36.49%30.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)84.56%27.03%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)35.01%7.22%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CIEN
FFIV
GSPC
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. F5 (FFIV), 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 F5 (FFIV). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricCIENFFIV
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)81.12%40.81%
Beta (5Y)1.391.09
Max Drawdown (5Y)-63.19%-47.42%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.83M692.80K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CIEN and FFIV 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 F5 (FFIV)
MetricCIENFFIV
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.400.63
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.560.84

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Ciena (CIEN) at 22.40% sits in the top ROE quartile, while F5 (FFIV) at 19.01% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for CIEN.

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%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

19.01%

Max
42.47%
Q3
19.13%
FFIV
19.01%
Median
11.00%
Q1
1.63%
Min
-20.62%
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their ROE against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

F5 (FFIV) at 21.14% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Ciena (CIEN) at 10.87%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

21.14%

Max
27.60%
FFIV
21.14%
Q3
11.66%
Median
4.08%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-11.02%
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their net margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

F5 (FFIV) at 23.99% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Ciena (CIEN) at 18.08%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

23.99%

Max
36.27%
FFIV
23.99%
Q3
18.36%
Median
8.84%
Q1
1.46%
Min
-21.39%
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their operating margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricCIENFFIV
ROE (TTM)22.40%19.01%
ROA (TTM)7.73%7.74%
Net Margin (TTM)10.87%21.14%
Operating Margin (TTM)18.08%23.99%
Gross Margin (TTM)44.07%81.98%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Ciena (CIEN) reports revenue growth of 18.79%, ranked against its industry; F5 (FFIV) has no revenue growth figure this period.

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Ciena (CIEN) vs. F5 (FFIV): 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 F5 (FFIV) at 6.10% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for CIEN.

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Ciena (CIEN) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricCIENFFIV
Revenue Growth (YoY)18.79%--
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.50%--
EPS Growth (YoY)46.55%6.10%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-5.27%24.10%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

F5 (FFIV) at 1.73 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Ciena (CIEN) at 3.80 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

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

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.73

Max
5.34
Q3
3.02
Median
1.95
FFIV
1.73
Q1
1.32
Min
0.17
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their current ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

F5 (FFIV) at 0.05 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Ciena (CIEN) at 1.07 uses more debt funding than most peers.

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

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.05

Max
1.76
Q3
0.78
Median
0.24
FFIV
0.05
Q1
0.04
Min
0.01
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricCIENFFIV
Current Ratio (MRQ)3.801.73
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.070.05
Net Debt / EBITDA0.64-1.49

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Ciena (CIEN) nor F5 (FFIV) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

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%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max
0.73%
Q3
0.31%
FFIV
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither Ciena (CIEN) nor F5 (FFIV) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

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%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max
32.27%
Q3
14.48%
FFIV
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricCIENFFIV
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

F5 (FFIV) at 24.83 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Ciena (CIEN) at 54.45 sits in the richer quartile — CIEN needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

24.83

Max
69.48
Q3
41.02
Median
26.39
FFIV
24.83
Q1
19.36
Min
6.07
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. F5 (FFIV): 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 F5 (FFIV) at 5.17 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

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

5.17

Max
11.30
Q3
5.82
FFIV
5.17
Median
2.56
Q1
1.05
Min
0.00
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

F5 (FFIV) at 4.41 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Ciena (CIEN) at 11.30 prices above its benchmark range — CIEN looks rich relative to book.

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

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

4.41

Max
10.75
Q3
5.52
FFIV
4.41
Median
3.17
Q1
1.79
Min
0.33
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricCIENFFIV
P/E Ratio (TTM)54.4524.83
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.735.17
P/B Ratio (MRQ)11.304.41
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.84%3.63%