Is CIEN or SNPS cheaper?

On trailing earnings, SNPS is cheaper: CIEN trades at a 130.32 P/E and SNPS at 85.29.

Which has grown faster, CIEN or SNPS?

Over the past five years, SNPS grew revenue faster — CIEN at a 10.39% CAGR versus SNPS at 16.85%.

Is CIEN or SNPS more profitable?

SNPS runs the higher net margin — CIEN at 7.87% versus SNPS at 8.91%.

Which has been the better investment, CIEN or SNPS?

Over the past 10-year, CIEN delivered the higher annualized total return — CIEN at 34.55% versus SNPS at 21.14%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Ciena Corporation (CIEN) vs Synopsys, Inc. (SNPS)

SNPS leads on 11 of 16 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of Ciena Corporation and Synopsys, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of July 25, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

CIEN

Ciena Corporation

$55.34B

$390.96TechnologyAt close: Jul 24, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

SNPS

Synopsys, Inc.

$71.51B

$373.47TechnologyAt close: Jul 24, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

Total return — CIEN vs SNPS

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 29y

CIEN +201.9%SNPS +1678.4%SNPS compounded faster

Log scale — wide-divergence pair

CIEN SNPS

CIEN vs SNPS: by the numbers

•SNPS is the larger company ($71.51B vs $55.34B market cap).
•SNPS trades at the lower earnings multiple (85.29 vs 130.32 P/E).
•SNPS converts more revenue to profit (8.91% vs 7.87% net margin).
•SNPS grew revenue faster over the past five years (16.85% vs 10.39% CAGR).

Which is better, CIEN or SNPS?

Metric tally: CIEN 5 · SNPS 11

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueSNPS(lower P/E)

GrowthSNPS(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

QualityCIEN(higher ROIC)

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	CIEN	SNPS
P/E ratio	130.32	85.29●
Forward P/E	59.84	25.26●
P/S ratio	10.27	8.24●
P/B ratio	19.78	2.35●
PEG ratio	4.37●	6.53
EV / EBITDA	71.57	40.10●
FCF yield	1.46%	3.74%●

Profitability

Metric	CIEN	SNPS
Gross margin	43.05%	73.47%●
Operating margin	11.18%●	8.36%
Net margin	7.87%	8.91%●
ROE	15.15%●	2.54%
ROIC	5.35%●	1.97%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	CIEN	SNPS
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	10.39%	16.85%●
EPS CAGR (5Y)	-17.95%	13.07%●
FCF CAGR (5Y)	11.11%	17.78%●
Total return CAGR (5Y)	47.37%●	5.55%

Frequently asked

Which is better, CIEN or SNPS?: It depends on your goal. value: SNPS (lower P/E); growth: SNPS (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); quality: CIEN (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, SNPS leads 11 to 5.
Is CIEN or SNPS cheaper?: On trailing earnings, SNPS is cheaper: CIEN trades at a 130.32 P/E and SNPS at 85.29.
Which has grown faster, CIEN or SNPS?: Over the past five years, SNPS grew revenue faster — CIEN at a 10.39% CAGR versus SNPS at 16.85%.
Is CIEN or SNPS more profitable?: SNPS runs the higher net margin — CIEN at 7.87% versus SNPS at 8.91%.
Which has been the better investment, CIEN or SNPS?: Over the past 10-year, CIEN delivered the higher annualized total return — CIEN at 34.55% versus SNPS at 21.14%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full CIEN analysis Full SNPS analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

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

Ciena & Synopsys appear in these rankings

Fastest Revenue Growth Stocks 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 July 25, 2026.