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CIEN vs. NVDA: Ciena vs. NVIDIA Stock Comparison

How do Ciena (CIEN) and NVIDIA (NVDA) 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 NVIDIA (NVDA) share the Information Technology sector but sit in different industry groups — CIEN in Technology Hardware & Equipment and NVDA in Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment.

Company profile comparison for Ciena (CIEN) and NVIDIA (NVDA)
Profile ItemCIENNVDA
NameCiena Corp.NVIDIA Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyInformation Technology
GICS Industry GroupTechnology Hardware & EquipmentSemiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS IndustryCommunications EquipmentSemiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Sub-IndustryCommunications EquipmentSemiconductors
Market Capitalization34.51 billion USD4,506.80 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateFebruary 7, 1997January 22, 1999
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CIEN
NVDA
GSPC
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. NVIDIA (NVDA), 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 NVIDIA (NVDA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and NVIDIA (NVDA)
MetricCIENNVDA
Total Return (1Y)36.49%-5.54%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)84.56%55.88%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)35.01%42.17%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and NVIDIA (NVDA)
MetricCIENNVDA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)81.12%38.31%
Beta (5Y)1.392.28
Max Drawdown (5Y)-63.19%-66.34%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.83M120.20M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CIEN and NVDA are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and NVIDIA (NVDA)
MetricCIENNVDA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.40-0.26
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.56-0.36

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but NVIDIA (NVDA) at 117.21% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Ciena (CIEN) at 22.40% also sits in the top quartile.

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%

NVDA

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

117.21%

NVDA
117.21%
Max
52.82%
Q3
22.26%
Median
10.58%
Q1
1.29%
Min
-16.89%
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. NVIDIA (NVDA): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

NVIDIA (NVDA) at 63.66% 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%

NVDA

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

63.66%

Max
63.80%
NVDA
63.66%
Q3
28.36%
Median
11.44%
Q1
0.90%
Min
-37.77%
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. NVIDIA (NVDA): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

NVIDIA (NVDA) at 66.24% turns sales into operating profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Ciena (CIEN) at 18.08% operates 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%

NVDA

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

66.24%

NVDA
66.24%
Max
58.66%
Q3
30.23%
Median
15.91%
Q1
7.54%
Min
-25.74%
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. NVIDIA (NVDA): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and NVIDIA (NVDA)
MetricCIENNVDA
ROE (TTM)22.40%117.21%
ROA (TTM)7.73%53.57%
Net Margin (TTM)10.87%63.66%
Operating Margin (TTM)18.08%66.24%
Gross Margin (TTM)44.07%74.67%

Growth

Revenue Growth

NVIDIA (NVDA) at 65.47% 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.

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

EPS Growth

Both Ciena (CIEN) at 46.55% and NVIDIA (NVDA) at 66.67% sit in the top peer quartile for EPS growth, so each is compounding per-share earnings faster than typical industry peers.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and NVIDIA (NVDA)
MetricCIENNVDA
Revenue Growth (YoY)18.79%65.47%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.50%100.05%
EPS Growth (YoY)46.55%66.67%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-5.27%204.24%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

NVIDIA (NVDA) at 4.59 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

NVDA

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

4.59

Max
10.33
Q3
5.62
NVDA
4.59
Median
3.33
Q1
2.35
Min
1.03
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. NVIDIA (NVDA): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

NVIDIA (NVDA) at 0.17 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

NVDA

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.17

Max
1.46
Q3
0.65
Median
0.27
NVDA
0.17
Q1
0.04
Min
0.00
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. NVIDIA (NVDA): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and NVIDIA (NVDA)
MetricCIENNVDA
Current Ratio (MRQ)3.804.59
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.070.17
Net Debt / EBITDA0.64-0.12

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 NVIDIA (NVDA) reports a yield of 0.15%, 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%

NVDA

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.15%

Max
1.37%
Q3
0.65%
NVDA
0.15%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. NVIDIA (NVDA): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

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 NVIDIA (NVDA) reports a payout of 3.54%, 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%

NVDA

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

3.54%

Max
49.64%
Q3
21.71%
NVDA
3.54%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. NVIDIA (NVDA): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and NVIDIA (NVDA)
MetricCIENNVDA
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.15%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%3.54%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

NVIDIA (NVDA) at 23.60 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

NVDA

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

23.60

Max
110.34
Q3
66.81
Median
37.02
Q1
23.96
NVDA
23.60
Min
8.12
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. NVIDIA (NVDA): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Ciena (CIEN) at 5.73 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while NVIDIA (NVDA) at 14.88 sits in the pricier quartile — NVDA costs more per dollar of 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

NVDA

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

14.88

Max
21.42
NVDA
14.88
Q3
12.27
Median
5.76
Q1
2.73
Min
0.00
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. NVIDIA (NVDA): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both Ciena (CIEN) at 11.30 and NVIDIA (NVDA) at 19.68 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

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

NVDA

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

19.68

NVDA
19.68
Max
14.06
Q3
7.44
Median
4.29
Q1
2.30
Min
0.20
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Ciena (CIEN) vs. NVIDIA (NVDA): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and NVIDIA (NVDA)
MetricCIENNVDA
P/E Ratio (TTM)54.4523.60
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.7314.88
P/B Ratio (MRQ)11.3019.68
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.84%0.93%