CIEN vs. IONQ: Ciena vs. IonQ Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Ciena (CIEN) has more than two decades of public-market history since February 7, 1997, whereas IonQ (IONQ) listed on January 4, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Ciena (CIEN) and IonQ (IONQ)
Profile Item	CIEN	IONQ
Name	Ciena Corp.	IonQ, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Technology Hardware & Equipment	Technology Hardware & Equipment
GICS Industry	Communications Equipment	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
GICS Sub-Industry	Communications Equipment	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
Market Capitalization	34.51 billion USD	15.16 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 7, 1997	January 4, 2021
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CIEN

IONQ

GSPC

Ciena (CIEN) vs. IonQ (IONQ), 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 IonQ (IONQ). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and IonQ (IONQ)
Metric	CIEN	IONQ
Total Return (1Y)	36.49%	-40.10%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	84.56%	46.76%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	35.01%	9.52%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CIEN

IONQ

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and IonQ (IONQ)
Metric	CIEN	IONQ
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	81.12%	94.72%
Beta (5Y)	1.39	3.33
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-63.19%	-90.00%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.83M	22.02M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CIEN and IONQ 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 IonQ (IONQ)
Metric	CIEN	IONQ
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.40	-0.47
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.56	-0.74

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Ciena (CIEN) at 22.40% sits in the top ROE quartile, while IonQ (IONQ) at 6.90% 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%

IONQ

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

6.90%

Max: 42.47%
Q3: 19.13%
Median: 11.00%
IONQ: 6.90%
Q1: 1.63%
Min: -20.62%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

IonQ (IONQ) at 67.09% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Ciena (CIEN) at 10.87% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

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%

IONQ

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

67.09%

IONQ: 67.09%
Max: 27.60%
Q3: 11.66%
Median: 4.08%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -11.02%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

IonQ (IONQ) reports a negative operating margin of -249.14%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Ciena (CIEN) reports 18.08%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

IONQ

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

-249.14%

Max: 36.27%
Q3: 18.36%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%
IONQ: -249.14%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and IonQ (IONQ)
Metric	CIEN	IONQ
ROE (TTM)	22.40%	6.90%
ROA (TTM)	7.73%	-12.60%
Net Margin (TTM)	10.87%	67.09%
Operating Margin (TTM)	18.08%	-249.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.07%	24.67%

Growth

Revenue Growth

IonQ (IONQ) at 201.85% clears its industry range for revenue growth, far stronger top-line momentum than Ciena (CIEN) at 18.79%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Ciena (CIEN) reports EPS growth of 46.55%, ranked against its industry; IonQ (IONQ) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and IonQ (IONQ)
Metric	CIEN	IONQ
Revenue Growth (YoY)	18.79%	201.85%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	9.50%	126.89%
EPS Growth (YoY)	46.55%	--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-5.27%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Ciena (CIEN) at 3.80 and IonQ (IONQ) at 4.24 post current ratio above their industries’ typical mid-ranges — short-term liquidity appears comfortable, though unusually high readings can point to idle current assets.

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

IONQ

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

4.24

Max: 5.34
IONQ: 4.24
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.32
Min: 0.17

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

IonQ (IONQ) at 0.01 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while Ciena (CIEN) at 1.07 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

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

IONQ

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.01

Max: 1.76
Q3: 0.78
Median: 0.24
Q1: 0.04
IONQ: 0.01
Min: 0.01

Ciena (CIEN) vs. IonQ (IONQ): 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 IonQ (IONQ)
Metric	CIEN	IONQ
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.80	4.24
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.07	0.01
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.64	--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Ciena (CIEN) nor IonQ (IONQ) 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%

IONQ

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 0.73%
Q3: 0.31%
IONQ: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither Ciena (CIEN) nor IonQ (IONQ) 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%

IONQ

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 32.27%
Q3: 14.48%
IONQ: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and IonQ (IONQ)
Metric	CIEN	IONQ
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

IonQ (IONQ) at 18.86 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

IONQ

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

18.86

Max: 69.48
Q3: 41.02
Median: 26.39
Q1: 19.36
IONQ: 18.86
Min: 6.07

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Ciena (CIEN) at 5.73 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while IonQ (IONQ) at 39.84 clears its benchmark range — IONQ looks notably rich on sales.

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

IONQ

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

39.84

IONQ: 39.84
Max: 11.30
Q3: 5.82
Median: 2.56
Q1: 1.05
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

IonQ (IONQ) at 2.67 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

IONQ

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

2.67

Max: 10.75
Q3: 5.52
Median: 3.17
IONQ: 2.67
Q1: 1.79
Min: 0.33

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and IonQ (IONQ)
Metric	CIEN	IONQ
P/E Ratio (TTM)	54.45	18.86
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.73	39.84
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.30	2.67
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.84%	-2.81%