CIEN vs. TRMB: Ciena vs. Trimble Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Ciena (CIEN) and Trimble (TRMB) 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 Trimble (TRMB) both fall under the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group, but CIEN is classified in Communications Equipment while TRMB is classified in Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components.

Company profile comparison for Ciena (CIEN) and Trimble (TRMB)
Profile Item	CIEN	TRMB
Name	Ciena Corp.	Trimble 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	Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components
GICS Sub-Industry	Communications Equipment	Electronic Equipment & Instruments
Market Capitalization	34.51 billion USD	12.40 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	February 7, 1997	July 20, 1990
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CIEN

TRMB

GSPC

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Trimble (TRMB), 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 Trimble (TRMB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CIEN	TRMB
Total Return (1Y)	36.49%	-30.18%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	84.56%	10.14%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	35.01%	-9.02%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CIEN

TRMB

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CIEN	TRMB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	81.12%	36.40%
Beta (5Y)	1.39	1.36
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-63.19%	-54.28%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.83M	2.82M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CIEN and TRMB 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 Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CIEN	TRMB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.40	-0.95
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.56	-1.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Trimble (TRMB) reports a negative ROE of -2.92%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Ciena (CIEN) reports 22.40%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

-2.92%

Max: 42.47%
Q3: 19.13%
Median: 11.00%
Q1: 1.63%
TRMB: -2.92%
Min: -20.62%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Trimble (TRMB) reports a negative net margin of -4.08%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Ciena (CIEN) reports 10.87%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

-4.08%

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

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Ciena (CIEN) at 18.08% and Trimble (TRMB) at 17.46% 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%

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

17.46%

Max: 36.27%
Q3: 18.36%
TRMB: 17.46%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CIEN	TRMB
ROE (TTM)	22.40%	-2.92%
ROA (TTM)	7.73%	4.85%
Net Margin (TTM)	10.87%	-4.08%
Operating Margin (TTM)	18.08%	17.46%
Gross Margin (TTM)	44.07%	71.58%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Ciena (CIEN) at 18.79% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Trimble (TRMB) at -2.61% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Trimble (TRMB): 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 Trimble (TRMB) at -71.10% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CIEN	TRMB
Revenue Growth (YoY)	18.79%	-2.61%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	9.50%	-0.81%
EPS Growth (YoY)	46.55%	-71.10%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-5.27%	-0.75%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Ciena (CIEN) at 3.80 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Trimble (TRMB) at 0.93 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

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

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.93

Max: 5.34
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.32
TRMB: 0.93
Min: 0.17

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Trimble (TRMB) at 0.31 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

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.31

Max: 1.76
Q3: 0.78
TRMB: 0.31
Median: 0.24
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.01

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Trimble (TRMB): 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 Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CIEN	TRMB
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.80	0.93
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.07	0.31
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.64	1.49

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Ciena (CIEN) nor Trimble (TRMB) 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%

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither Ciena (CIEN) nor Trimble (TRMB) 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%

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CIEN	TRMB
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Ciena (CIEN) trades at 54.45 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Trimble (TRMB) has no P/E ratio this period.

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

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

Max: 69.48
Q3: 41.02
Median: 26.39
Q1: 19.36
Min: 6.07
TRMB: --

Ciena (CIEN) vs. Trimble (TRMB): TRMB does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; CIEN is benchmarked against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Ciena (CIEN) at 5.73 and Trimble (TRMB) at 3.22 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

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

3.22

Max: 11.30
Q3: 5.82
TRMB: 3.22
Median: 2.56
Q1: 1.05
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Trimble (TRMB) at 2.50 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

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

2.50

Max: 10.75
Q3: 5.52
Median: 3.17
TRMB: 2.50
Q1: 1.79
Min: 0.33

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ciena (CIEN) and Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CIEN	TRMB
P/E Ratio (TTM)	54.45	--
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.73	3.22
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	11.30	2.50
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.84%	5.70%