Which has the lower trailing P/E, CIEN or PAYX?

PAYX has the lower trailing P/E: CIEN trades at 116.84 and PAYX at 24.36. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, CIEN or PAYX?

Over the past five years, CIEN grew revenue faster — CIEN at a 10.39% CAGR versus PAYX at 9.93%.

Does CIEN or PAYX pay a bigger dividend?

PAYX pays a dividend (3.73% yield), while CIEN has no payments in the available dividend history.

Is CIEN or PAYX more profitable?

PAYX runs the higher net margin — CIEN at 7.87% versus PAYX at 27.03%.

How have CIEN and PAYX total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, CIEN delivered 33.58% and PAYX delivered 10.60% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Ciena Corporation (CIEN) vs Paychex, Inc. (PAYX)

A side-by-side comparison of Ciena Corporation and Paychex, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of July 29, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

CIEN

Ciena Corporation

$48.03B

$339.32TechnologyDelayed quote: Jul 29, 2026, 2:40 PM EDT

PAYX

Paychex, Inc.

$43.72B

$122.92TechnologyDelayed quote: Jul 29, 2026, 2:40 PM EDT

Total return — CIEN vs PAYX

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 29y

CIEN +170.7%PAYX +2735.5%PAYX compounded faster

Log scale — wide-divergence pair

CIEN PAYX

CIEN vs PAYX: by the numbers

•CIEN is the larger company ($48.03B vs $43.72B market cap).
•PAYX trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (24.36 vs 116.84 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•PAYX converts more revenue to profit (27.03% vs 7.87% net margin).
•CIEN grew revenue faster over the past five years (10.39% vs 9.93% CAGR).
•PAYX pays a dividend (3.73% yield), while CIEN has no payments in the available dividend history.

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	CIEN	PAYX
P/E ratio	116.84	24.36
Forward P/E	53.65	21.64
P/S ratio	9.21	6.54
P/B ratio	17.73	11.40
PEG ratio	4.37	3.21
EV / EBITDA	64.23	15.59
FCF yield	1.62%	5.45%

Profitability

Metric	CIEN	PAYX
Gross margin	43.05%	74.29%
Operating margin	11.18%	38.55%
Net margin	7.87%	27.03%
ROE	15.15%	47.12%
ROIC	5.35%	20.49%

Dividends

Metric	CIEN	PAYX
Dividend yield	N/A	3.73%
Payout ratio	N/A	90.41%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	CIEN	PAYX
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	10.39%	9.93%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	-17.95%	9.95%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	11.11%	15.18%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	43.92%	4.35%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, CIEN or PAYX?: PAYX has the lower trailing P/E: CIEN trades at 116.84 and PAYX at 24.36. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, CIEN or PAYX?: Over the past five years, CIEN grew revenue faster — CIEN at a 10.39% CAGR versus PAYX at 9.93%.
Does CIEN or PAYX pay a bigger dividend?: PAYX pays a dividend (3.73% yield), while CIEN has no payments in the available dividend history.
Is CIEN or PAYX more profitable?: PAYX runs the higher net margin — CIEN at 7.87% versus PAYX at 27.03%.
How have CIEN and PAYX total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, CIEN delivered 33.58% and PAYX delivered 10.60% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full CIEN analysis Full PAYX analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Ciena P/E ratio Paychex P/E ratio Ciena dividend yield Paychex dividend yield Ciena ROE Paychex ROE Ciena operating margin Paychex operating margin Ciena revenue growth Paychex revenue growth Ciena free cash flow Paychex free cash flow

Ciena & Paychex appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks Highest Operating Margin 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 July 29, 2026.