Is ALAB or CIEN cheaper?

On trailing earnings, CIEN is cheaper: ALAB trades at a 270.22 P/E and CIEN at 154.50.

Is ALAB or CIEN more profitable?

ALAB runs the higher net margin — ALAB at 26.72% versus CIEN at 7.87%.

Astera Labs, Inc. Common Stock (ALAB) vs Ciena Corporation (CIEN)

CIEN leads on 6 of 11 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of Astera Labs, Inc. Common Stock and Ciena Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 24, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

ALAB

Astera Labs, Inc. Common Stock

Total return — ALAB vs CIEN

growth of $100 · last 2y

ALAB +544.7%CIEN +823.0%CIEN compounded faster

ALAB CIEN

ALAB vs CIEN: by the numbers

•ALAB is the larger company ($68.55B vs $65.61B market cap).
•CIEN trades at the lower earnings multiple (154.50 vs 270.22 P/E).
•ALAB converts more revenue to profit (26.72% vs 7.87% net margin).

Which is better, ALAB or CIEN?

Metric tally: ALAB 5 · CIEN 6

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueCIEN(lower P/E)

QualityALAB(higher ROIC)

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	ALAB	CIEN
P/E ratio	270.22	154.50●
Forward P/E	91.76	71.00●
P/S ratio	72.34	12.18●
P/B ratio	48.49	23.45●
PEG ratio	—	4.37
EV / EBITDA	258.86	93.54●
FCF yield	0.47%	1.23%●

Profitability

Metric	ALAB	CIEN
Gross margin	75.99%●	43.05%
Operating margin	22.36%●	11.18%
Net margin	26.72%●	7.87%
ROE	17.91%●	15.15%
ROIC	12.40%●	5.35%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	ALAB	CIEN
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	—	10.39%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	—	-17.95%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	—	11.11%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	—	51.73%

Frequently asked

Which is better, ALAB or CIEN?: It depends on your goal. value: CIEN (lower P/E); quality: ALAB (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, CIEN leads 6 to 5.
Is ALAB or CIEN cheaper?: On trailing earnings, CIEN is cheaper: ALAB trades at a 270.22 P/E and CIEN at 154.50.
Is ALAB or CIEN more profitable?: ALAB runs the higher net margin — ALAB at 26.72% versus CIEN at 7.87%.

Go deeper

Full ALAB analysis Full CIEN analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Astera Labs, Inc. Common Stock P/E ratio Ciena P/E ratio Astera Labs, Inc. Common Stock dividend yield Ciena dividend yield Astera Labs, Inc. Common Stock ROE Ciena ROE Astera Labs, Inc. Common Stock operating margin Ciena operating margin Astera Labs, Inc. Common Stock revenue growth Ciena revenue growth Astera Labs, Inc. Common Stock free cash flow Ciena free cash flow

Astera Labs, Inc. Common Stock & Ciena appear in these rankings

Best 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified June 24, 2026.