Stock fact sheet · data as of
Ciena Corporation (CIEN): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol CIEN · Technology · Communication Equipment · United States · Growth
Is CIEN undervalued?
At 272.24 (close of 5 Nov 2026), CIEN trades 97% over the GLS average fair value of 138.19, with 1 of 8 models above the price. The stock earns none of the Wheel Score's Value points at this price. That is a statement about price against trailing fundamentals, not about the company's prospects - the Wall Street View and the Growth tab on the Quote page carry the forward numbers.
There is a wide gap between DCF (20.58) and GLS Growth (282.01). When the models are this far apart the "fair value" is really a range, and the margin of safety above should be read with that range in mind.
Ranked against every other company we cover, CIEN is clearly faster-growing than it is cheap, so the nightly engine files it under Growth (value score 9, growth score 81, out of 100).
Nine valuation models for CIEN
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 20.58 | -92% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 47.22 | -83% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 263.49 | -3% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 115.16 | -58% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 282.01 | +4% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 125.43 | -54% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 200.41 | -26% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | - | - | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend; no value tonight |
| EPV | 51.18 | -81% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | 3.03 | -99% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 507.42 | +86% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Ciena Corporation scores 8 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score, the nine yes/no tests of profitability, leverage and efficiency on the latest annual accounts - a strong reading that passes the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter with room to spare. On durability CIEN scores 6.1/10 on the GLS Moat - a middle reading; the Moat Score tab on the Quote page's Financials view shows which of the four parts hold it back.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC 2.9%, ROE 4.5%, ROA 2.1% - with debt at 0.58 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 1.9%.
Ciena Corporation pays no dividend, so the DDM model does not apply and a covered-call holder earns only the premium and any price gain. Revenue comes mainly from Networking Platforms 81%, Global Services 12%, Platform Software and Services 6% (quarter Q3 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 3/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 8 / 9 | ROIC | 2.9% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 6.1 / 10 | ROE | 4.5% |
| Debt / equity | 0.58 | ROA | 2.1% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 1.9% | Payout ratio | 0% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 1 · 3 / 10 |
Wheel Score 38: Weak
With a Wheel Score of 38 Ciena Corporation sits in the Weak band. It fails filter 3, below fair value - trades 97% above our fair value; and filter 7, a premium worth selling - implied volatility 88% (over 80%); Value (weak) is its weakest part.
Implied volatility is 88%, above the 80% ceiling of the Wheel Trade Filter on premium. The premium looks generous, but moves of that size can blow through any strike. The option chain is deep: 53,596 contracts of open interest across all expiries, which means tight fills at most strikes.
Volume runs at 3.9M shares a day on a market cap of $38.6B, with a beta of 1.34 - a high beta, so the stock tends to move more than the market and a strike can be gapped through; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that good.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Fails | trades 97% above our fair value |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Fails | implied volatility 88% (over 80%) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Weak | 97% above fair value | |
| Premium | Fair | implied volatility 88% | |
| Moat | Good | moat 6.1/10 | |
| Health | Strong | Piotroski 8/9 | |
| Red Flags | Good | Red Flags score 85/100 | |
| Option trading | Strong | 16,248 contracts a day, 53,596 open interest | |
| Stability | Good | beta 1.34, $38.6B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
The next earnings report is due on 10 Dec 2026 (before the open), 35 days away; a 30-45-day put sold today would expire after it, which is worth weighing against the premium.
No analyst upgrades or downgrades were recorded in the last 30 days.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Communication Equipment
The 12 companies below are the closest to Ciena Corporation by market cap within the Communication Equipment industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERIC Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) | 11.06 | 7.81 | -42% | 38Weak | $36.9B |
| UI Ubiquiti Inc. | 561.00 | 354.93 | -58% | 23No options | $33.9B |
| NOK Nokia Oyj | 8.26 | 3.06 | -170% | 43Weak | $44.6B |
| LITE Lumentum Holdings Inc. | 626.75 | 139.50 | -349% | 37Weak | $56.8B |
| MSI Motorola Solutions, Inc. | 496.24 | 323.32 | -53% | 45Weak | $82.1B |
| ZBRA Zebra Technologies Corporation | 332.44 | 262.02 | -27% | 40Weak | $15.7B |
| VSAT Viasat, Inc. | 66.79 | 65.02 | -3% | 26Weak | $9.2B |
| VIAV Viavi Solutions Inc. | 29.38 | 7.87 | -273% | 34Weak | $7.2B |
| AAOI Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. | 59.27 | - | - | 12Weak | $5.0B |
| BDC Belden Inc. | 105.15 | 87.55 | -20% | 36Weak | $4.1B |
| CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc. | 103.61 | 45.21 | -129% | 53Fair | $408.5B |
| ONDS Ondas Holdings Inc. | 5.27 | 9.04 | +42% | 32Weak | $3.1B |
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Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about CIEN
Is CIEN undervalued right now?
No: at 272.24 the stock trades 97% above the GLS average fair value of 138.19 (data as of 5 Nov 2026), well beyond what trailing earnings, cash flow and book value support.
What is the Wheel Score of CIEN and what does it mean?
CIEN scores 38 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 3, 7. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for CIEN?
138.19 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 8 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Ciena Corporation report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 10 Dec 2026 (before the open), 35 days from the data date of 5 Nov 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does CIEN have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 924 listed contracts with 53,596 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 88% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.