ATEN vs CIEN vs AAOI Stock Comparison

A10 Networks, Ciena and Applied Optoelectronics Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ATEN A10 Networks, Inc.
$22.61 -20.9% 1M +24.7% 1Y
Market cap
$1.78B
P/E
41.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$310.17M
Div. yield
–
Networking Equipment Technology
5 wins
CIEN Ciena Corp
$230.72 -48.0% 1M +17.8% 1Y
Market cap
$34.51B
P/E
52.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.02B
Div. yield
–
Networking Equipment Technology
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

A10 Networks leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (A10 Networks 5, Ciena 3, Applied Optoelectronics 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionATENCIENAAOILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $1.78B $34.51B $4.29B CIEN
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 41.4x 52.7x -130.7x ATEN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.6x 30.4x 66.0x ATEN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +12.2% +32.6% +77.2% AAOI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 13.9% 10.9% -4.4% ATEN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.9% 12.4% -2.3% CIEN
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -2.1x 0.7x 68.1x ATEN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +24.7% +17.8% +48.8% AAOI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.4%/yr +30.7%/yr +51.6%/yr AAOI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.6% 81.6% 141.5% ATEN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 49/100 55/100 33/100 CIEN

Percentile Scorecard

ATENCIENAAOI

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisATENCIENAAOI
Valuation 35 #73 of 112 23 #87 of 112 14 #96 of 112
Growth 26 #80 of 108 94 #8 of 108 64 #40 of 108
Profitability 83 #19 of 104 82 #20 of 104 18 #85 of 104
Financial Health 36 #75 of 116 44 #65 of 116 63 #44 of 116
Shareholder Returns 65 #30 of 83 32 #57 of 83 4 #80 of 83
Overall 49 55 33
  • ATEN ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • CIEN ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • AAOI ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodATENCIENAAOISPY
1 month -20.9%-48.0%-64.0% -5.9%
3 months -18.1%-42.8%-62.3% -4.6%
6 months -17.1%-57.2%-70.2% +0.2%
Year to date +27.8%-1.3%+34.5% +7.5%
1 year +24.7%+17.8%+48.8% +8.2%
3 years +105.7%+433.8%+383.9% +68.3%
3 years, per year +27.2%+74.8%+69.2% +19.0%
5 years +36.5%+281.4%+700.2% +56.5%
5 years, per year +6.4%+30.7%+51.6% +9.4%
10 years +203.9%+1,098.5%+116.6% +251.5%
10 years, per year +11.8%+28.2%+8.0% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureATENCIENAAOISPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.6%81.6%141.5% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 43.8%89.5%132.3% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.112.854.37 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.610.220.34 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -44.6%-63.2%-79.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -40.7%-63.2%-79.0% -5.9%
52-week high $38.14$627.00$223.10 $779.14
52-week low $16.55$176.45$19.49 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleATENCIENAAOI
P/E now vs peer median 38.0xmedian 25.2x 50.1xmedian 25.2x -122.1xmedian 25.2x
P/S now vs peer median 5.3xmedian 2.4x 5.4xmedian 2.4x 5.7xmedian 2.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 22.6xmedian 16.2x 37.1xmedian 16.2x -463.5xmedian 16.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 26.9xmedian 23.4x 40.2xmedian 23.4x -4.8xmedian 23.4x
P/B now vs peer median 6.9xmedian 2.3x 10.7xmedian 2.3x 1.9xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median -17.68median 0.98 1.12median 0.98 -2.91median 0.98

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsATENCIENAAOI
Revenue $310.17M $6.02B $747.22M
Gross profit $246.21M $2.65B $215.22M
Operating income $50.08M $738.95M -$50.66M
Net income $42.97M $654.41M -$32.78M
Free cash flow $60.94M $814.36M -$883.41M
R&D $77.12M $924.94M $124.46M
EPS (diluted) $0.57 $4.48 $-0.37
Cash & equivalents $54.70M $2.45B $605.41M
Total debt $219.52M $3.23B $59.99M
Shares (diluted) 75.65M 145.97M 87.84M
Enterprise value $304.34M $28.07B $2.53B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricATENCIENAAOI
P/E 38.0x 50.1x -122.1x
P/FCF 26.9x 40.2x -4.8x
P/Operating cash flow 21.3x 31.0x -40.1x
P/S 5.3x 5.4x 5.7x
P/B 6.9x 10.7x 1.9x
P/Tangible book 7.3x 11.4x 1.9x
EV/EBITDA 22.6x 37.1x -463.5x
EV/EBIT 30.0x 45.1x -73.2x
EV/Revenue 4.8x 5.5x 5.0x
EV/FCF 24.6x 40.9x -4.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.5x 31.6x -34.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -17.68 1.12 -2.91

Growth

14 metrics
MetricATENCIENAAOI
Revenue growth (1Y) 12.2% 32.6% 77.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.3% 12.5% 50.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.7% 40.6% 74.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.0% 13.3% 70.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 4.5% 200.1% -2.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -0.2% 29.1% 2.8%
Net income growth (1Y) -15.8% 364.5% 79.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -2.1% 43.5% 19.3%
EPS growth (1Y) -18.6% 359.9% 84.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -2.1% 44.8% 41.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -9.8% 34.5% 37.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.6% 201.2% -101.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -13.7% 34.5% -192.6%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.4% 95.4% -275.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricATENCIENAAOI
Gross margin 79.4% 44.1% 28.8%
EBITDA margin 21.4% 14.9% -1.1%
Operating margin 16.1% 12.3% -6.8%
Pretax margin 17.5% 12.1% -4.9%
Net margin 13.9% 10.9% -4.4%
FCF margin 19.6% 13.5% -118.2%
Operating cash flow margin 24.8% 17.5% -14.2%
Return on equity 18.7% 22.0% -1.7%
Return on assets 6.5% 9.3% -1.2%
Return on invested capital 8.9% 12.4% -2.3%
Return on capital employed 17.8% 13.1% -2.5%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.9x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.8x 1.6x 3.2x
Stock comp / revenue 7.5% 3.5% 2.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricATENCIENAAOI
Debt / assets 32.4% 40.4% 1.9%
Debt / equity 0.9x 1.1x 0.0x
Net debt / EBITDA -2.1x 0.7x 68.1x
Debt / FCF 3.6x 4.0x -0.1x
Liabilities / assets 64.9% 61.8% 28.5%
Equity / assets 35.1% 38.2% 71.5%
Interest coverage – 10.6x -13.1x
Current ratio 1.3x 3.8x 2.3x
Quick ratio 1.1x 2.8x 1.5x
Cash ratio 1.0x 1.9x 0.9x
Altman Z-score 3.18 5.17 3.15

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricATENCIENAAOI
Dividend yield 1.1% – –
Net buyback yield 1.3% -1.5% -41.5%
Shareholder yield 2.4% -1.5% -41.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusATENCIENAAOI
Forward P/E 22.6xFY2026 30.4xFY2026 66.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.00FY2026 $7.60FY2026 $0.71FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +11.1%FY2026 +187.9%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +13.0% +64.7% +646.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $342.96MFY2026 $6.86BFY2026 $994.70MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +18.0%FY2026 +43.8%FY2026 +118.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +3.4% +18.0% +185.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersATENCIENAAOI
Held by institutions 100.0% 93.0% 60.5%
Institutions holding 312 1,224 482
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.8% -1.7% -3.5%
Institutions buying 172 733 313
Institutions selling 99 379 144
Buyers to sellers 1.74 1.93 2.17

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ATENCIENAAOI
ATEN 1.00 0.34 0.33
CIEN 0.34 1.00 0.62
AAOI 0.33 0.62 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ATEN, CIEN and AAOI?

Ciena (CIEN) is the largest by market capitalisation: A10 Networks (ATEN) $1.78B, Ciena (CIEN) $34.51B, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) $4.29B.

Which stock is cheaper, ATEN, CIEN and AAOI?

A10 Networks (ATEN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (A10 Networks (ATEN) 41.4x, Ciena (CIEN) 52.7x, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -130.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, A10 Networks (ATEN) is cheapest (A10 Networks (ATEN) 22.6x, Ciena (CIEN) 30.4x, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) 66.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: A10 Networks (ATEN) +12.2%, Ciena (CIEN) +32.6%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +77.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

A10 Networks (ATEN) has the highest net margin (A10 Networks (ATEN) 13.9%, Ciena (CIEN) 10.9%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -4.4%). On return on invested capital, Ciena (CIEN) leads (A10 Networks (ATEN) 8.9%, Ciena (CIEN) 12.4%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -2.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) returned the most: A10 Networks (ATEN) +24.7%, Ciena (CIEN) +17.8%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +48.8%. Over five years, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) compounded fastest (A10 Networks (ATEN) +6.4%/yr, Ciena (CIEN) +30.7%/yr, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +51.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, A10 Networks (ATEN) has been the steadiest (A10 Networks (ATEN) 40.6%, Ciena (CIEN) 81.6%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) 141.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ATEN, CIEN and AAOI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, A10 Networks (ATEN) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.