Applied [AAOI] vs Ciena [CIEN] Detailed Stock Comparison

Applied Optoelectronics Inc.

NASDAQ
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Ciena Corporation

NYSE
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TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 20 vital metrics comparison: Applied Optoelectronics Inc. wins in 3 metrics, Ciena Corporation wins in 16 metrics, with 0 ties. Ciena Corporation appears stronger overall.

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric Applied Optoelectronics Inc. Ciena Corporation Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) -215.16 332.81 Ciena Corporation
Price-to-Book Ratio 15.27 26.13 Applied Optoelectronics Inc.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 33.80 56.93 Applied Optoelectronics Inc.
PEG Ratio 2.18 1.38 Ciena Corporation
EV/EBITDA -419.17 128.36 Ciena Corporation
Profit Margin (TTM) -8.39% 4.47% Ciena Corporation
Operating Margin (TTM) -8.57% 13.40% Ciena Corporation
EBITDA Margin (TTM) N/A 13.40% N/A
Return on Equity -7.94% 8.20% Ciena Corporation
Return on Assets (TTM) -3.98% 4.58% Ciena Corporation
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $-353.96M $665.29M Ciena Corporation
1-Year Return 992.76% 518.04% Applied Optoelectronics Inc.
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 25.47 14.23 Ciena Corporation
Enterprise Value $11.28B $73.23B Ciena Corporation
EV/Revenue Ratio 24.75 14.29 Ciena Corporation
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 31.24% 43.83% Ciena Corporation
Revenue per Share (TTM) $8 $36 Ciena Corporation
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $-0.64 $1.55 Ciena Corporation
Beta (Stock Volatility) 3.22 1.02 Ciena Corporation
Short % of Float 12.19% 6.66% Ciena Corporation

Applied Optoelectronics Inc. vs Ciena Corporation Stock Performance Analysis

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AAOI
CIEN

Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
Applied Optoelectronics Inc.2.16%-14.60%-30.54%-35.76%160.85%158.61%
Ciena Corporation3.91%-0.70%-16.42%27.35%114.36%88.33%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
Applied Optoelectronics Inc.992.76%3,385.57%1,951.58%1,612.77%1,573.76%1,573.76%
Ciena Corporation518.04%906.50%694.27%2,059.71%2,565.75%1,446.39%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: Applied Optoelectronics Inc. vs Ciena Corporation

MetricAAOICIEN
Market Information
Market Cap i$10.70B$73.64B
Market Cap CategoryLarge capLarge cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i11,646,7172,506,790
90 Day Avg. Volume i12,779,8823,034,150
Last Close$102.41$463.41
52 Week Range$18.50 - $233.67$72.56 - $637.51
% from 52W High-56.17%-27.31%
All-Time High$218.94 (May 14, 2026)$1,057.00 (Oct 16, 2000)
% from All-Time High-53.22%-56.16%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.34%0.33%
Quarterly Earnings Growth0.34%2.37%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i-0.08%0.04%
Operating Margin (TTM) i-0.09%0.13%
Return on Equity (TTM) i-0.08%0.08%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i33.8056.93
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$9.79$19.74
Cash per Share (MRQ)$2.74$9.19
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$-174,428,000$930.01M
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$-383,898,880$699.30M
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/AN/A
Last 12-Month Dividend iN/AN/A

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: Applied Optoelectronics Inc. vs Ciena Corporation

MetricAAOI (Apr 24, 2026)CIEN (Apr 26, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i-215.16332.81
Forward P/E i46.7361.04
PEG Ratio i2.181.38
Price to Sales (TTM) i25.4714.23
Price to Book (MRQ) i15.2726.13
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$10.70B$73.64B
Enterprise Value i$11.28B$73.23B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i24.7514.29
Enterprise to EBITDA i-419.17128.36
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i3.221.02
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$9.79$19.74

Financial Statements Comparison: Applied Optoelectronics Inc. vs Ciena Corporation

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricAAOI (2025)CIEN (2025)
Revenue/Sales i455.72M4.77B
Cost of Goods Sold i318.80M2.76B
COGS % of Revenue i70.0%58.0%
Gross Profit i136.91M2.00B
Gross Margin i30.0%42.0%
Research & Development i85.51M848.33M
Operating Income (EBIT) i-49.74M310.79M
Operating Margin i-10.9%6.5%
EBITDA i-17.51M506.15M
EBITDA Margin i-3.8%10.6%
Pre-Tax Income i-46.70M156.29M
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i-10.2%3.3%
Income Tax i-8.48M32.95M
Income Tax % of Revenue i-1.9%0.7%
Net Income (Profit) i-38.23M123.34M
Profit Margin i-8.4%2.6%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricAAOI (2025)CIEN (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i206.14M1.09B
Total Current Assets i675.73M3.57B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i148.3%74.8%
Total Current Liabilities i257.28M1.31B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i56.5%27.4%
Long-Term Debt i177.22M1.60B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i38.9%33.4%
Total Shareholders Equity i733.92M2.73B
Retained Earnings i-490.08M-3.17B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i-107.5%-66.5%
Property, Plant & Equipment i49.70M38.61M

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricAAOI (2025)CIEN (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i-209.88M647.02M
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i-46.1%13.6%
Capital Expenditures i-179.14M-140.80M
Free Cash Flow i-353.96M665.29M
FCF Margin i-77.7%13.9%
Debt Repayment i-163.12M-35.14M
Common Stock Repurchase iN/A-425.82M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricAAOICIEN
Shares Short i9.18M5.98M
Short Ratio i0.681.72
Short % of Float i12.19%6.66%
Shares Outstanding i75.00M141.45M
Float Shares i72.36M140.60M
% Held by Insiders i4.08%0.58%
% Held by Institutions i71.28%99.24%
% Held by Public i24.64%0.18%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: Applied Optoelectronics Inc. vs Ciena Corporation

MetricAAOICIEN
Last 12-Month Dividend iN/AN/A
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield iN/AN/A
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend iN/AN/A
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield iN/AN/A
3-Year Total Dividends iN/AN/A
Ex-Dividend DateN/AN/A