CIEN vs. SMCI: Ciena vs. Super Micro Computer Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Ciena (CIEN) and Super Micro Computer (SMCI)
Profile Item	CIEN	SMCI
Name	Ciena Corp.	Super Micro Computer 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	18.96 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	February 7, 1997	March 29, 2007
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CIEN

SMCI

GSPC

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Super Micro Computer (SMCI), 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 Super Micro Computer (SMCI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Ciena (CIEN) and Super Micro Computer (SMCI). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Super Micro Computer (SMCI)
Metric	CIEN	SMCI
Total Return (1Y)	36.49%	-26.81%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	84.56%	3.18%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	35.01%	45.36%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CIEN

SMCI

GSPC

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Super Micro Computer (SMCI), 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 Super Micro Computer (SMCI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Super Micro Computer (SMCI)
Metric	CIEN	SMCI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	81.12%	93.09%
Beta (5Y)	1.39	2.21
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-63.19%	-84.84%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.83M	43.55M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CIEN and SMCI 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 Super Micro Computer (SMCI)
Metric	CIEN	SMCI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.40	-0.33
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.56	-0.48

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Ciena (CIEN) at 22.40% and Super Micro Computer (SMCI) at 32.37% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

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%

SMCI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

32.37%

Max: 42.47%
SMCI: 32.37%
Q3: 19.13%
Median: 11.00%
Q1: 1.63%
Min: -20.62%

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Super Micro Computer (SMCI): A comparison of their ROE against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Ciena (CIEN) at 10.87% and Super Micro Computer (SMCI) at 6.77% 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%

SMCI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

6.77%

Max: 27.60%
Q3: 11.66%
SMCI: 6.77%
Median: 4.08%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -11.02%

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Super Micro Computer (SMCI): A comparison of their net margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Ciena (CIEN) at 18.08% and Super Micro Computer (SMCI) at 10.35% 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%

SMCI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

10.35%

Max: 36.27%
Q3: 18.36%
SMCI: 10.35%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Super Micro Computer (SMCI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Super Micro Computer (SMCI)
Metric	CIEN	SMCI
ROE (TTM)	22.40%	32.37%
ROA (TTM)	7.73%	11.61%
Net Margin (TTM)	10.87%	6.77%
Operating Margin (TTM)	18.08%	10.35%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.07%	11.67%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Super Micro Computer (SMCI) at 77.79% 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. Super Micro Computer (SMCI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Ciena (CIEN) at 46.55% and Super Micro Computer (SMCI) at 94.05% sit in the top peer quartile for EPS growth, so each is compounding per-share earnings faster than typical industry peers.

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Super Micro Computer (SMCI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Super Micro Computer (SMCI)
Metric	CIEN	SMCI
Revenue Growth (YoY)	18.79%	77.79%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	9.50%	76.34%
EPS Growth (YoY)	46.55%	94.05%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-5.27%	41.82%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Ciena (CIEN) at 3.80 and Super Micro Computer (SMCI) at 3.02 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

SMCI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

3.02

Max: 5.34
SMCI: 3.02
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.32
Min: 0.17

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Super Micro Computer (SMCI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Super Micro Computer (SMCI) at 0.57 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

SMCI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.57

Max: 1.76
Q3: 0.78
SMCI: 0.57
Median: 0.24
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.01

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Super Micro Computer (SMCI): 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 Super Micro Computer (SMCI)
Metric	CIEN	SMCI
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.80	3.02
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.07	0.57
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.64	0.50

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Ciena (CIEN) nor Super Micro Computer (SMCI) 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%

SMCI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

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

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Super Micro Computer (SMCI): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither Ciena (CIEN) nor Super Micro Computer (SMCI) 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%

SMCI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

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

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Super Micro Computer (SMCI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Super Micro Computer (SMCI)
Metric	CIEN	SMCI
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Super Micro Computer (SMCI) at 6.07 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

SMCI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

6.07

Max: 69.48
Q3: 41.02
Median: 26.39
Q1: 19.36
SMCI: 6.07
Min: 6.07

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Super Micro Computer (SMCI) at 0.35 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Ciena (CIEN) at 5.73 prices around its industry’s middle — SMCI costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

SMCI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.35

Max: 11.30
Q3: 5.82
Median: 2.56
Q1: 1.05
SMCI: 0.35
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Super Micro Computer (SMCI) at 1.60 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile relative to book while Ciena (CIEN) at 11.30 prices above its industry range — a wide valuation gap against assets.

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

SMCI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.60

Max: 10.75
Q3: 5.52
Median: 3.17
Q1: 1.79
SMCI: 1.60
Min: 0.33

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Super Micro Computer (SMCI)
Metric	CIEN	SMCI
P/E Ratio (TTM)	54.45	6.07
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.73	0.35
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.30	1.60
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.84%	-42.54%