CIEN vs CSCO vs TWLO Stock Comparison

Ciena, Cisco Systems and Twilio 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
2 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
6 wins
TWLO Twilio Inc
$261.66 -10.0% 1M +136.1% 1Y
Market cap
$40.41B
P/E
35.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.57B
Div. yield
–
Communications Platforms Technology
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Cisco Systems leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Cisco Systems 6, Twilio 3, Ciena 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCIENCSCOTWLOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $47.78B $436.07B $40.41B CSCO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 73.0x 32.9x 35.2x CSCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 42.1x 22.5x 45.8x CSCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +32.6% +11.8% +17.8% CIEN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 10.9% 21.0% 20.6% CSCO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 12.4% 15.9% 3.1% CSCO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.7x 0.8x -3.2x TWLO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +85.6% +51.6% +136.1% TWLO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +43.5%/yr +14.1%/yr -6.1%/yr CIEN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 77.7% 35.4% 62.2% CSCO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 53/100 57/100 TWLO

Percentile Scorecard

CIENCSCOTWLO

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

AxisCIENCSCOTWLO
Valuation 22 #88 of 112 32 #77 of 112 24 #23 of 30
Growth 95 #6 of 109 40 #66 of 109 96 #2 of 27
Profitability 83 #19 of 105 88 #14 of 105 40 #16 of 26
Financial Health 44 #66 of 117 28 #84 of 117 87 #5 of 32
Shareholder Returns 32 #56 of 82 77 #20 of 82 38 #11 of 17
Overall 55 53 57
  • CIEN ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware
  • CSCO ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware
  • TWLO ranked among 33 companies in Workplace Software

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCIENCSCOTWLOSPY
1 month -10.0%+0.1%-10.0% -1.0%
3 months -18.0%-6.7%+36.7% +2.9%
6 months -38.5%+19.6%+82.0% +6.4%
Year to date +37.0%+38.3%+84.0% +11.4%
1 year +85.6%+51.6%+136.1% +13.1%
3 years +670.7%+100.9%+388.0% +79.4%
3 years, per year +97.6%+26.2%+69.7% +21.5%
5 years +508.1%+93.2%-26.9% +67.7%
5 years, per year +43.5%+14.1%-6.1% +10.9%
10 years +1,507.1%+253.2%+537.3% +255.2%
10 years, per year +32.0%+13.5%+20.3% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureCIENCSCOTWLOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 77.7%35.4%62.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 82.8%37.3%52.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.761.091.37 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.101.462.19 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -49.7%-38.6%-88.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -48.9%-18.1%-13.6% -2.5%
52-week high $627.00$130.00$302.99 $779.14
52-week low $172.58$70.27$108.49 $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.

MultipleCIENCSCOTWLO
P/E now vs peer median 69.5xmedian 31.3x 31.7xmedian 31.3x 34.8xmedian 32.3x
P/S now vs peer median 7.5xmedian 2.6x 6.6xmedian 2.6x 7.2xmedian 2.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 51.3xmedian 19.6x 24.2xmedian 19.6x 74.2xmedian 11.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 55.8xmedian 28.3x 32.9xmedian 28.3x 38.3xmedian 14.2x
P/B now vs peer median 14.9xmedian 2.9x 8.4xmedian 2.9x 4.5xmedian 2.7x
PEG now vs peer median 1.55median 1.15 11.78median 1.15 0.76median 0.77

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 monthsCIENCSCOTWLO
Revenue $6.02B $63.33B $5.57B
Gross profit $2.65B $40.86B $2.70B
Operating income $738.95M $15.37B $289.94M
Net income $654.41M $13.27B $1.15B
Free cash flow $814.36M $12.77B $1.05B
R&D $924.94M $9.56B $1.06B
EPS (diluted) $4.48 $3.33 $7.19
Cash & equivalents $2.45B $7.22B $823.26M
Total debt $3.23B $29.53B $993.16M
Shares (diluted) 145.97M 3.99B 159.71M
Enterprise value $41.34B $371.99B $30.48B

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
MetricCIENCSCOTWLO
P/E 69.5x 31.7x 34.8x
P/FCF 55.8x 32.9x 38.3x
P/Operating cash flow 43.1x 29.6x 37.9x
P/S 7.5x 6.6x 7.2x
P/B 14.9x 8.4x 4.5x
P/Tangible book 15.8x 9.8x 4.5x
EV/EBITDA 51.3x 24.2x 74.2x
EV/EBIT 62.3x 28.2x 132.9x
EV/Revenue 7.6x 6.9x 6.9x
EV/FCF 56.5x 34.0x 36.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 43.7x 30.6x 36.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.55 11.78 0.76

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCIENCSCOTWLO
Revenue growth (1Y) 32.6% 11.8% 17.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 12.5% 3.6% 11.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 40.6% 11.1% 14.5%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 13.3% 4.6% 11.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 200.1% 30.7% 320.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 29.1% 0.7% 31.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 364.5% 30.3% 5,574%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 43.5% 1.7% 43.3%
EPS growth (1Y) 359.9% 30.7% 5,574%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 44.8% 2.7% 45.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 34.5% -0.1% 35.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 201.2% -10.7% 96.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 34.5% -3.9% 35.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 95.4% -12.5% 89.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCIENCSCOTWLO
Gross margin 44.1% 64.5% 48.5%
EBITDA margin 14.9% 28.3% 9.3%
Operating margin 12.3% 24.3% 5.2%
Pretax margin 12.1% 25.3% 3.1%
Net margin 10.9% 21.0% 20.6%
FCF margin 13.5% 20.2% 18.8%
Operating cash flow margin 17.5% 22.4% 19.0%
Return on equity 22.0% 26.8% 13.7%
Return on assets 9.3% 10.4% 11.3%
Return on invested capital 12.4% 15.9% 3.1%
Return on capital employed 13.1% 17.9% 3.1%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.5x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 1.1x 0.9x
Stock comp / revenue 3.5% 6.0% 10.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCIENCSCOTWLO
Debt / assets 40.4% 22.8% 9.2%
Debt / equity 1.1x 0.6x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.7x 0.8x -3.2x
Debt / FCF 4.0x 2.3x 0.9x
Liabilities / assets 61.8% 61.2% 17.2%
Equity / assets 38.2% 38.8% 82.8%
Interest coverage 10.6x 10.5x –
Current ratio 3.8x 0.9x 4.6x
Quick ratio 2.8x 0.6x 4.2x
Cash ratio 1.9x 0.4x 3.3x
Altman Z-score 6.72 4.05 12.92

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCIENCSCOTWLO
Dividend yield – 1.6% –
Net buyback yield -1.1% 1.3% 2.0%
Shareholder yield -1.1% 2.9% 2.0%
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.

ConsensusCIENCSCOTWLO
Forward P/E 42.1xFY2026 22.5xFY2027 45.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.60FY2026 $4.74FY2027 $5.71FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +187.9%FY2026 +9.5%FY2027 +16.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +64.7% +20.7% +23.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.86BFY2026 $74.93BFY2027 $6.37BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +43.8%FY2026 +18.3%FY2027 +25.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +18.0% +0.6% +1.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCIENCSCOTWLO
Held by institutions 92.9% 80.1% 90.3%
Institutions holding 1,220 4,044 963
Change in shares held, QoQ -1.7% +5.0% +1.9%
Institutions buying 729 1,846 543
Institutions selling 379 1,816 310
Buyers to sellers 1.92 1.02 1.75

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.

CIENCSCOTWLO
CIEN 1.00 0.35 0.10
CSCO 0.35 1.00 0.12
TWLO 0.10 0.12 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CIEN, CSCO and TWLO?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Ciena (CIEN) $47.78B, Cisco Systems (CSCO) $436.07B, Twilio (TWLO) $40.41B.

Which stock is cheaper, CIEN, CSCO and TWLO?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Ciena (CIEN) 73.0x, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 32.9x, Twilio (TWLO) 35.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Cisco Systems (CSCO) is cheapest (Ciena (CIEN) 42.1x, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 22.5x, Twilio (TWLO) 45.8x). 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%, Twilio (TWLO) +17.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has the highest net margin (Ciena (CIEN) 10.9%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.0%, Twilio (TWLO) 20.6%). On return on invested capital, Cisco Systems (CSCO) leads (Ciena (CIEN) 12.4%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 15.9%, Twilio (TWLO) 3.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Twilio (TWLO) returned the most: Ciena (CIEN) +85.6%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +51.6%, Twilio (TWLO) +136.1%. Over five years, Ciena (CIEN) compounded fastest (Ciena (CIEN) +43.5%/yr, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +14.1%/yr, Twilio (TWLO) -6.1%/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%, Twilio (TWLO) 62.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 6. 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.