CIEN vs CSCO vs EXTR Stock Comparison

Ciena, Cisco Systems and Extreme Networks Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CIEN Ciena Corp
$320.30 -10.0% 1M +85.6% 1Y
Market cap
$47.78B
P/E
73.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.02B
Div. yield
–
Networking Equipment Technology
4 wins
CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.
$106.50 +0.1% 1M +51.6% 1Y
Market cap
$436.07B
P/E
32.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$63.33B
Div. yield
–
Networking Equipment Technology
4 wins
EXTR Extreme Networks Inc
$21.97 -0.3% 1M +3.9% 1Y
Market cap
$3.01B
P/E
71.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.28B
Div. yield
–
Networking Equipment Technology
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Cisco Systems leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (Cisco Systems 4, Ciena 4, Extreme Networks 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCIENCSCOEXTRLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $47.78B $436.07B $3.01B CSCO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 73.0x 32.9x 71.5x CSCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 42.1x 22.5x 15.9x EXTR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +32.6% +11.8% +12.6% CIEN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 10.9% 21.0% 3.3% CSCO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 12.4% 15.9% 19.4% EXTR
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.7x 0.8x -0.6x EXTR
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +85.6% +51.6% +3.9% CIEN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +43.5%/yr +14.1%/yr +17.6%/yr CIEN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 77.7% 35.4% 55.3% CSCO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 53/100 52/100 CIEN

Percentile Scorecard

CIENCSCOEXTR

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

AxisCIENCSCOEXTR
Valuation 22 #88 of 112 32 #77 of 112 37 #71 of 112
Growth 95 #6 of 109 40 #66 of 109 41 #65 of 109
Profitability 83 #19 of 105 88 #14 of 105 71 #31 of 105
Financial Health 44 #66 of 117 28 #84 of 117 23 #90 of 117
Shareholder Returns 32 #56 of 82 77 #20 of 82 88 #11 of 82
Overall 55 53 52
  • CIEN ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware
  • CSCO ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware
  • EXTR ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCIENCSCOEXTRSPY
1 month -10.0%+0.1%-0.3% -1.0%
3 months -18.0%-6.7%-25.5% +2.9%
6 months -38.5%+19.6%+24.9% +6.4%
Year to date +37.0%+38.3%+32.0% +11.4%
1 year +85.6%+51.6%+3.9% +13.1%
3 years +670.7%+100.9%+4.5% +79.4%
3 years, per year +97.6%+26.2%+1.5% +21.5%
5 years +508.1%+93.2%+124.9% +67.7%
5 years, per year +43.5%+14.1%+17.6% +10.9%
10 years +1,507.1%+253.2%+441.1% +255.2%
10 years, per year +32.0%+13.5%+18.4% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureCIENCSCOEXTRSPY
Volatility, 1Y 77.7%35.4%55.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 82.8%37.3%56.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.761.091.51 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.101.460.07 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -49.7%-38.6%-67.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -48.9%-18.1%-34.8% -2.5%
52-week high $627.00$130.00$33.71 $779.14
52-week low $172.58$70.27$13.74 $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.

MultipleCIENCSCOEXTR
P/E now vs peer median 69.5xmedian 31.3x 31.7xmedian 31.3x 69.2xmedian 31.3x
P/S now vs peer median 7.5xmedian 2.6x 6.6xmedian 2.6x 2.2xmedian 2.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 51.3xmedian 19.6x 24.2xmedian 19.6x 32.9xmedian 19.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 55.8xmedian 28.3x 32.9xmedian 28.3x 30.3xmedian 28.3x
P/B now vs peer median 14.9xmedian 2.9x 8.4xmedian 2.9x 32.5xmedian 2.9x
PEG now vs peer median 1.55median 1.15 11.78median 1.15 -3.67median 1.15

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 monthsCIENCSCOEXTR
Revenue $6.02B $63.33B $1.28B
Gross profit $2.65B $40.86B $789.14M
Operating income $738.95M $15.37B $62.70M
Net income $654.41M $13.27B $42.12M
Free cash flow $814.36M $12.77B $95.24M
R&D $924.94M $9.56B $233.88M
EPS (diluted) $4.48 $3.33 $0.31
Cash & equivalents $2.45B $7.22B $211.76M
Total debt $3.23B $29.53B $731.31M
Shares (diluted) 145.97M 3.99B 134.97M
Enterprise value $41.34B $371.99B $2.16B

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
MetricCIENCSCOEXTR
P/E 69.5x 31.7x 69.2x
P/FCF 55.8x 32.9x 30.3x
P/Operating cash flow 43.1x 29.6x 23.4x
P/S 7.5x 6.6x 2.2x
P/B 14.9x 8.4x 32.5x
P/Tangible book 15.8x 9.8x 33.7x
EV/EBITDA 51.3x 24.2x 32.9x
EV/EBIT 62.3x 28.2x 45.2x
EV/Revenue 7.6x 6.9x 2.2x
EV/FCF 56.5x 34.0x 29.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 43.7x 30.6x 23.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.55 11.78 -3.67

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCIENCSCOEXTR
Revenue growth (1Y) 32.6% 11.8% 12.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 12.5% 3.6% -0.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 40.6% 11.1% 11.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 13.3% 4.6% 1.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 200.1% 30.7% 269.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 29.1% 0.7% -16.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 364.5% 30.3% 664.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 43.5% 1.7% -18.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 359.9% 30.7% 653.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 44.8% 2.7% -18.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 34.5% -0.1% -19.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 201.2% -10.7% -20.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 34.5% -3.9% -25.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 95.4% -12.5% -26.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCIENCSCOEXTR
Gross margin 44.1% 64.5% 61.5%
EBITDA margin 14.9% 28.3% 6.7%
Operating margin 12.3% 24.3% 4.9%
Pretax margin 12.1% 25.3% 4.0%
Net margin 10.9% 21.0% 3.3%
FCF margin 13.5% 20.2% 7.4%
Operating cash flow margin 17.5% 22.4% 9.6%
Return on equity 22.0% 26.8% 50.3%
Return on assets 9.3% 10.4% 3.6%
Return on invested capital 12.4% 15.9% 19.4%
Return on capital employed 13.1% 17.9% 10.8%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.5x 1.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 1.1x 2.9x
Stock comp / revenue 3.5% 6.0% 6.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCIENCSCOEXTR
Debt / assets 40.4% 22.8% 13.9%
Debt / equity 1.1x 0.6x 1.8x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.7x 0.8x -0.6x
Debt / FCF 4.0x 2.3x 1.7x
Liabilities / assets 61.8% 61.2% 92.5%
Equity / assets 38.2% 38.8% 7.5%
Interest coverage 10.6x 10.5x 4.5x
Current ratio 3.8x 0.9x 0.9x
Quick ratio 2.8x 0.6x 0.6x
Cash ratio 1.9x 0.4x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 6.72 4.05 1.73

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCIENCSCOEXTR
Dividend yield – 1.6% –
Net buyback yield -1.1% 1.3% 3.0%
Shareholder yield -1.1% 2.9% 3.0%
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.

ConsensusCIENCSCOEXTR
Forward P/E 42.1xFY2026 22.5xFY2027 15.9xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $7.60FY2026 $4.74FY2027 $1.38FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +187.9%FY2026 +9.5%FY2027 +30.2%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +64.7% +20.7% +2.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.86BFY2026 $74.93BFY2027 $1.34BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +43.8%FY2026 +18.3%FY2027 +4.5%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +18.0% +0.6% +21.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCIENCSCOEXTR
Held by institutions 92.9% 80.1% 96.7%
Institutions holding 1,220 4,044 338
Change in shares held, QoQ -1.7% +5.0% +1.2%
Institutions buying 729 1,846 181
Institutions selling 379 1,816 121
Buyers to sellers 1.92 1.02 1.50

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.

CIENCSCOEXTR
CIEN 1.00 0.35 0.28
CSCO 0.35 1.00 0.50
EXTR 0.28 0.50 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CIEN, CSCO and EXTR?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Ciena (CIEN) $47.78B, Cisco Systems (CSCO) $436.07B, Extreme Networks (EXTR) $3.01B.

Which stock is cheaper, CIEN, CSCO and EXTR?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Ciena (CIEN) 73.0x, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 32.9x, Extreme Networks (EXTR) 71.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Extreme Networks (EXTR) is cheapest (Ciena (CIEN) 42.1x, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 22.5x, Extreme Networks (EXTR) 15.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Ciena (CIEN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Ciena (CIEN) +32.6%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +11.8%, Extreme Networks (EXTR) +12.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has the highest net margin (Ciena (CIEN) 10.9%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.0%, Extreme Networks (EXTR) 3.3%). On return on invested capital, Extreme Networks (EXTR) leads (Ciena (CIEN) 12.4%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 15.9%, Extreme Networks (EXTR) 19.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Ciena (CIEN) returned the most: Ciena (CIEN) +85.6%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +51.6%, Extreme Networks (EXTR) +3.9%. Over five years, Ciena (CIEN) compounded fastest (Ciena (CIEN) +43.5%/yr, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +14.1%/yr, Extreme Networks (EXTR) +17.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Cisco Systems (CSCO) has been the steadiest (Ciena (CIEN) 77.7%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 35.4%, Extreme Networks (EXTR) 55.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CIEN, CSCO and EXTR?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Cisco Systems (CSCO) leads on 4. 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.