CIEN vs. STX: Ciena vs. Seagate Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Ciena (CIEN) and Seagate (STX)
Profile Item	CIEN	STX
Name	Ciena Corp.	Seagate Technology Holdings plc
Country/Region	United States	Singapore
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	105.83 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	February 7, 1997	December 11, 2002
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CIEN

STX

GSPC

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Seagate (STX), 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

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Ciena (CIEN) and Seagate (STX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Seagate (STX)
Metric	CIEN	STX
Total Return (1Y)	36.49%	83.77%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	84.56%	95.95%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	35.01%	42.73%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CIEN

STX

GSPC

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Seagate (STX), 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

Loading price history…

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Seagate (STX)
Metric	CIEN	STX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	81.12%	76.96%
Beta (5Y)	1.39	2.24
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-63.19%	-57.80%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.83M	4.72M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CIEN and STX 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 Seagate (STX)
Metric	CIEN	STX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.40	1.03
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.56	1.51

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Seagate (STX) at 259.35% 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%

STX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

259.35%

STX: 259.35%
Max: 42.47%
Q3: 19.13%
Median: 11.00%
Q1: 1.63%
Min: -20.62%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Seagate (STX) at 31.86% 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%

STX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

31.86%

STX: 31.86%
Max: 27.60%
Q3: 11.66%
Median: 4.08%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -11.02%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Seagate (STX) at 48.85% 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%

STX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

48.85%

STX: 48.85%
Max: 36.27%
Q3: 18.36%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Seagate (STX)
Metric	CIEN	STX
ROE (TTM)	22.40%	259.35%
ROA (TTM)	7.73%	37.21%
Net Margin (TTM)	10.87%	31.86%
Operating Margin (TTM)	18.08%	48.85%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.07%	50.35%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Seagate (STX) at 34.06% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Ciena (CIEN) at 18.79% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for STX.

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

EPS Growth

Both Ciena (CIEN) at 46.55% and Seagate (STX) at 105.32% sit in the top peer quartile for EPS growth, so each is compounding per-share earnings faster than typical industry peers.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Seagate (STX)
Metric	CIEN	STX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	18.79%	34.06%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	9.50%	18.20%
EPS Growth (YoY)	46.55%	105.32%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-5.27%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Seagate (STX) at 1.82 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

STX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.82

Max: 5.34
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
STX: 1.82
Q1: 1.32
Min: 0.17

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Seagate (STX) at 0.77 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

STX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.77

Max: 1.76
Q3: 0.78
STX: 0.77
Median: 0.24
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.01

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Seagate (STX): 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 Seagate (STX)
Metric	CIEN	STX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.80	1.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.07	0.77
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.64	0.24

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 Seagate (STX) reports a yield of 0.63%, 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%

STX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.63%

Max: 0.73%
STX: 0.63%
Q3: 0.31%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Seagate (STX): 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 Seagate (STX) reports a payout of 15.52%, 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%

STX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

15.52%

Max: 32.27%
STX: 15.52%
Q3: 14.48%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Seagate (STX)
Metric	CIEN	STX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.63%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	15.52%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Seagate (STX) at 24.17 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

STX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

24.17

Max: 69.48
Q3: 41.02
Median: 26.39
STX: 24.17
Q1: 19.36
Min: 6.07

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Ciena (CIEN) at 5.73 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Seagate (STX) at 7.67 sits in the pricier quartile — STX 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

STX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

7.67

Max: 11.30
STX: 7.67
Q3: 5.82
Median: 2.56
Q1: 1.05
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both Ciena (CIEN) at 11.30 and Seagate (STX) at 30.67 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

STX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

30.67

STX: 30.67
Max: 10.75
Q3: 5.52
Median: 3.17
Q1: 1.79
Min: 0.33

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Seagate (STX)
Metric	CIEN	STX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	54.45	24.17
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.73	7.67
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.30	30.67
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.84%	2.17%