RBBN vs CSCO vs CIEN Stock Comparison

Ribbon Communications, Cisco Systems and Ciena Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.
$108.59 +1.5% 1M +52.2% 1Y
Market cap
$428.50B
P/E
32.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$63.33B
Div. yield
1.54%
Networking Equipment Technology
5 wins
CIEN Ciena Corp
$349.15 -1.6% 1M +84.5% 1Y
Market cap
$49.54B
P/E
75.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.02B
Div. yield
–
Networking Equipment Technology
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Cisco Systems leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Cisco Systems 5, Ciena 5, Ribbon Communications 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionRBBNCSCOCIENLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $291.65M $428.50B $49.54B CSCO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 15.7x 32.4x 75.8x RBBN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 32.6x 22.9x 45.9x CSCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -7.8% +11.8% +32.6% CIEN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 2.3% 21.0% 10.9% CSCO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 0.0% 15.9% 12.4% CSCO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 9.4x 0.8x 0.7x CIEN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — 1.54% — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -52.8% +52.2% +84.5% CIEN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -21.5%/yr +14.2%/yr +45.1%/yr CIEN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 69.3% 35.5% 77.9% CSCO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 41/100 55/100 55/100 CIEN

Percentile Scorecard

RBBNCSCOCIEN

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

AxisRBBNCSCOCIEN
Valuation 62 #43 of 112 33 #75 of 112 21 #89 of 112
Growth 21 #86 of 108 40 #65 of 108 94 #7 of 108
Profitability 34 #69 of 104 88 #13 of 104 84 #18 of 104
Financial Health 18 #95 of 116 30 #81 of 116 41 #69 of 116
Shareholder Returns 71 #23 of 78 81 #16 of 78 36 #50 of 78
Overall 41 55 55
  • RBBN ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • CSCO ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • CIEN ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodRBBNCSCOCIENSPY
1 month -8.9%+1.5%-1.6% +0.7%
3 months -23.1%-4.4%-6.1% +3.7%
6 months -38.3%+18.7%-33.8% +7.1%
Year to date -43.4%+41.0%+49.3% +12.8%
1 year -52.8%+52.2%+84.5% +11.9%
3 years -14.2%+110.6%+750.3% +85.2%
3 years, per year -5.0%+28.2%+104.2% +22.8%
5 years -70.2%+94.0%+543.1% +67.6%
5 years, per year -21.5%+14.2%+45.1% +10.9%
10 years -71.3%+255.0%+1,689.6% +262.0%
10 years, per year -11.7%+13.5%+33.4% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureRBBNCSCOCIENSPY
Volatility, 1Y 69.3%35.5%77.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 79.5%37.1%82.7% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.331.102.80 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.761.471.08 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -78.9%-38.6%-49.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -52.8%-16.5%-44.3% -1.2%
52-week high $3.45$130.00$627.00 $779.14
52-week low $1.32$71.04$176.45 $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.

MultipleRBBNCSCOCIEN
P/E now vs peer median 15.7xmedian 32.9x 32.4xmedian 32.9x 75.8xmedian 32.9x
P/S now vs peer median 0.4xmedian 2.9x 6.8xmedian 2.9x 8.2xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 18.5xmedian 20.0x 24.7xmedian 20.0x 55.9xmedian 20.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median -10.0xmedian 30.2x 33.6xmedian 30.2x 60.8xmedian 30.2x
P/B now vs peer median 0.8xmedian 2.9x 8.5xmedian 2.9x 16.2xmedian 2.9x
PEG now vs peer median 0.48median 1.08 12.01median 1.08 1.69median 1.08

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 monthsRBBNCSCOCIEN
Revenue $800.98M $63.33B $6.02B
Gross profit $386.62M $40.86B $2.65B
Operating income -$29.02M $15.37B $738.95M
Net income $18.59M $13.27B $654.41M
Free cash flow -$29.11M $12.77B $814.36M
R&D $178.44M $9.56B $924.94M
EPS (diluted) $0.10 $3.33 $4.48
Cash & equivalents $40.38M $7.22B $2.45B
Total debt $342.88M $29.53B $3.23B
Shares (diluted) 178.86M 3.99B 145.97M
Enterprise value $43.80M $364.43B $43.10B

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
MetricRBBNCSCOCIEN
P/E 15.7x 32.4x 75.8x
P/FCF -10.0x 33.6x 60.8x
P/Operating cash flow -15.6x 30.2x 47.0x
P/S 0.4x 6.8x 8.2x
P/B 0.8x 8.5x 16.2x
P/Tangible book 1.1x 10.0x 17.3x
EV/EBITDA 18.5x 24.7x 55.9x
EV/EBIT -20.5x 28.8x 67.9x
EV/Revenue 0.7x 7.0x 8.3x
EV/FCF -20.4x 34.6x 61.6x
EV/Operating cash flow -31.8x 31.2x 47.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.48 12.01 1.69

Growth

14 metrics
MetricRBBNCSCOCIEN
Revenue growth (1Y) -7.8% 11.8% 32.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -1.3% 3.6% 12.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -12.1% 11.1% 40.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -1.2% 4.6% 13.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) -240.9% 30.7% 200.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 9.9% 0.7% 29.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 143.2% 30.3% 364.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 33.0% 1.7% 43.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 142.6% 30.7% 359.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 32.7% 2.7% 44.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -122.3% -0.1% 34.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -50.8% -10.7% 201.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -155.4% -3.9% 34.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -90.6% -12.5% 95.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricRBBNCSCOCIEN
Gross margin 48.3% 64.5% 44.1%
EBITDA margin 4.0% 28.3% 14.9%
Operating margin -3.6% 24.3% 12.3%
Pretax margin -8.9% 25.3% 12.1%
Net margin 2.3% 21.0% 10.9%
FCF margin -3.6% 20.2% 13.5%
Operating cash flow margin -2.3% 22.4% 17.5%
Return on equity 4.8% 26.8% 22.0%
Return on assets 1.6% 10.4% 9.3%
Return on invested capital 0.0% 15.9% 12.4%
Return on capital employed -3.5% 17.9% 13.1%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.5x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -1.0x 1.1x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 2.7% 6.0% 3.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricRBBNCSCOCIEN
Debt / assets 29.8% 22.8% 40.4%
Debt / equity 0.9x 0.6x 1.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 9.4x 0.8x 0.7x
Debt / FCF -11.8x 2.3x 4.0x
Liabilities / assets 66.2% 61.2% 61.8%
Equity / assets 33.8% 38.8% 38.2%
Interest coverage – 10.5x 10.6x
Current ratio 1.3x 0.9x 3.8x
Quick ratio 1.1x 0.6x 2.8x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.4x 1.9x
Altman Z-score -1.00 4.11 7.21

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricRBBNCSCOCIEN
Dividend yield – 1.5% –
Net buyback yield 1.4% 1.3% -1.0%
Shareholder yield 1.4% 2.9% -1.0%
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.

ConsensusRBBNCSCOCIEN
Forward P/E 32.6xFY2026 22.9xFY2027 45.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.05FY2026 $4.74FY2027 $7.60FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -92.4%FY2026 +9.5%FY2027 +187.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +200.0% +20.7% +64.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $790.52MFY2026 $74.93BFY2027 $6.86BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -6.4%FY2026 +18.3%FY2027 +43.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +11.9% +0.6% +18.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersRBBNCSCOCIEN
Held by institutions 71.8% 80.1% 92.9%
Institutions holding 161 4,047 1,221
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.7% +5.0% -1.7%
Institutions buying 88 1,847 730
Institutions selling 41 1,818 379
Buyers to sellers 2.15 1.02 1.93

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.

RBBNCSCOCIEN
RBBN 1.00 0.21 0.25
CSCO 0.21 1.00 0.36
CIEN 0.25 0.36 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, RBBN, CSCO and CIEN?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Ribbon Communications (RBBN) $291.65M, Cisco Systems (CSCO) $428.50B, Ciena (CIEN) $49.54B.

Which stock is cheaper, RBBN, CSCO and CIEN?

Ribbon Communications (RBBN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Ribbon Communications (RBBN) 15.7x, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 32.4x, Ciena (CIEN) 75.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Cisco Systems (CSCO) is cheapest (Ribbon Communications (RBBN) 32.6x, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 22.9x, Ciena (CIEN) 45.9x). 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: Ribbon Communications (RBBN) -7.8%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +11.8%, Ciena (CIEN) +32.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has the highest net margin (Ribbon Communications (RBBN) 2.3%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.0%, Ciena (CIEN) 10.9%). On return on invested capital, Cisco Systems (CSCO) leads (Ribbon Communications (RBBN) 0.0%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 15.9%, Ciena (CIEN) 12.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Ciena (CIEN) returned the most: Ribbon Communications (RBBN) -52.8%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +52.2%, Ciena (CIEN) +84.5%. Over five years, Ciena (CIEN) compounded fastest (Ribbon Communications (RBBN) -21.5%/yr, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +14.2%/yr, Ciena (CIEN) +45.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Cisco Systems (CSCO) 1.54%. Ribbon Communications (RBBN) and Ciena (CIEN) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Cisco Systems (CSCO) has been the steadiest (Ribbon Communications (RBBN) 69.3%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 35.5%, Ciena (CIEN) 77.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 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.