Ciena Corporation (CIEN) Cash Flow Statement
Where CIEN’s cash came from and went, FY2025
October 31, 2025 · U.S. dollars- Cash from operations
- $806.1M +56.7% vs FY2024
- Capital expenditures
- $140.8M 3.0% of revenue
- Free cash flow
- $665.3M 13.9% margin
- Returned to shareholders
- $334.5M 50% of free cash flow
- Change in cash
- $157.1M cash at year-end $1.09B
Cash from operations
$806.1M
Capital expenditures
−$140.8M
Investments (net)
+$130.4M
Acquisitions & other
−$231.1M
Share buybacks (net)
−$334.5M
Net borrowing (repayment)
−$16.0M
Shares issued
+$35.9M
Other financing
−$91.3M
Change in cash
$157.1M
Drawn to scale: where the cash came from and how it was used. Hover for values.
CIEN operating cash flow, capex and free cash flow
Operating cash flowCapital expendituresFree cash flowFCF margin (right axis)
CIEN cash flow trends, FY2016–FY2025
| Metric | Trend | Then | Latest | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating cash flow | $289.5MFY2016 | $806.1MFY2025 | +12.0%/yr | |
| Capital expenditures | $107.2MFY2016 | $140.8MFY2025 | +3.1%/yr | |
| Free cash flow | $182.3MFY2016 | $665.3MFY2025 | +15.5%/yr | |
| Free cash flow margin | 7.0%FY2016 | 13.9%FY2025 | +6.9 pts | |
| Operating cash flow / net income | 3.99FY2016 | 6.54FY2025 | +2.55 | |
| Stock-based compensation | $52.0MFY2016 | $184.5MFY2025 | +15.1%/yr | |
| Dividends paid | $0FY2016 | $498.3MFY2023 | — | |
| Share buybacks (net) | $0FY2016 | $334.5MFY2025 | — | |
| Capex / revenue | 4.1%FY2016 | 3.0%FY2025 | −1.2 pts |
Change is the average annual growth (CAGR) or the difference between the first and latest year.
CIEN cash flow by activity
OperatingInvestingFinancingChange in cash
CIEN net income vs operating cash flow
Net incomeOperating cash flow
Operating cash flow above net income usually means earnings are backed by cash (depreciation and stock-based pay are non-cash expenses).
CIEN cash flow statement
| FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 | FY2019 | FY2018 | FY2017 | FY2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating activities | ||||||||||
| Net income | $123.3M | $84.0M | $254.8M | $152.9M | $500.2M | $361.3M | $253.4M | −$344.7M | $1.26B | $72.6M |
| Depreciation & amortization | $140.3M | $133.5M | $142.2M | $140.2M | $132.3M | $132.5M | $122.7M | $110.0M | $122.9M | $141.7M |
| Stock-based compensation | $184.5M | $156.4M | $130.5M | $105.1M | $84.3M | $67.8M | $59.7M | $53.0M | $48.4M | $52.0M |
| Change in working capital | $219.8M | $102.8M | −$396.8M | −$572.1M | −$68.2M | −$199.9M | −$99.6M | −$150.8M | −$155.7M | −$51.5M |
| Other non-cash items | $138.1M | $37.9M | $37.6M | $6.1M | −$107.0M | $131.9M | $76.9M | $561.7M | −$1.04B | $74.7M |
| Cash from operating activities | $806.1M | $514.5M | $168.3M | −$167.8M | $541.6M | $493.7M | $413.1M | $229.3M | $234.9M | $289.5M |
| Investing activities | ||||||||||
| Capital expenditures | −$140.8M | −$136.6M | −$106.2M | −$90.8M | −$79.5M | −$82.7M | −$62.6M | −$67.6M | −$94.6M | −$107.2M |
| Investments (net) | $130.4M | −$306.5M | −$383.5M | $46.7M | −$15.8M | −$109.3M | $86.7M | $130.9M | $33.2M | −$157.1M |
| Acquisitions & other investing | −$231.1M | $136.6M | $106.2M | −$57.1M | $4.7M | −$28.3M | $0 | −$82.6M | −$54,000 | −$32.0M |
| Cash from investing activities | −$241.5M | −$306.5M | −$383.5M | −$101.2M | −$90.7M | −$220.2M | $24.1M | −$19.3M | −$61.4M | −$296.3M |
| Financing activities | ||||||||||
| Dividends paid | — | — | −$498.3M | — | −$6.9M | — | — | −$305.1M | $0 | $0 |
| Share repurchases & issuance (net) | −$334.5M | −$301.1M | −$280.7M | −$549.3M | −$135.4M | −$107.0M | −$179.1M | −$115.7M | $20.4M | $23.1M |
| Net borrowing (repayment) | −$16.0M | −$15.7M | $485.1M | $391.3M | −$9.9M | −$5.6M | −$11.5M | $6.8M | −$331.5M | −$27.3M |
| Shares issued | $35.9M | $34.3M | $31.4M | $30.3M | $28.5M | $28.1M | $22.9M | $23.1M | $0 | $0 |
| Other financing | −$91.3M | −$2.6M | $492.0M | −$5.5M | $6.9M | −$2.7M | −$111.3M | $291.7M | $0 | $0 |
| Cash from financing activities | −$405.9M | −$285.1M | $229.4M | −$133.1M | −$116.8M | −$87.2M | −$279.0M | −$99.2M | −$311.1M | −$4.2M |
| Summary | ||||||||||
| Net change in cash | $157.1M | −$75.8M | $16.4M | −$428.2M | $333.9M | $184.5M | $158.7M | $104.9M | −$137.1M | −$13.4M |
| Cash at end of period | $1.09B | $935.0M | $1.01B | $994.4M | $1.42B | $1.09B | $904.2M | $745.4M | $640.5M | $777.6M |
| Free cash flow | $665.3M | $377.9M | $62.1M | −$258.6M | $462.1M | $411.0M | $350.6M | $161.6M | $140.3M | $182.3M |
| Free cash flow margin | 13.9% | 9.4% | 1.4% | −7.1% | 12.8% | 11.6% | 9.8% | 5.2% | 5.0% | 7.0% |
| Capex / revenue | 3.0% | 3.4% | 2.4% | 2.5% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 1.8% | 2.2% | 3.4% | 4.1% |
| Operating cash flow / net income | 6.54 | 6.13 | 0.66 | −1.10 | 1.08 | 1.37 | 1.63 | — | 0.19 | 3.99 |
| Jul '26 | Apr '26 | Jan '26 | Oct '25 | Jul '25 | Apr '25 | Jan '25 | Oct '24 | Jul '24 | Apr '24 | Jan '24 | Oct '23 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating activities | ||||||||||||
| Net income | $266.4M | $218.2M | $150.3M | $19.5M | $50.3M | $9.0M | $44.6M | $37.0M | $14.2M | −$16.8M | $49.5M | $91.2M |
| Depreciation & amortization | $48.7M | $67.0M | $43.8M | $37.4M | $35.7M | $33.9M | $33.5M | $33.8M | $32.9M | $33.9M | $32.8M | $36.7M |
| Stock-based compensation | $57.9M | $55.5M | $49.8M | −$135.7M | $46.9M | $48.0M | $40.8M | $41.0M | $37.4M | $40.2M | $37.8M | $35.0M |
| Change in working capital | −$285.7M | −$10.0M | −$37.7M | $154.3M | $31.8M | $41.7M | −$8.0M | $241.8M | −$251.7M | −$17.3M | $130.0M | −$44.1M |
| Other non-cash items | $109.0M | −$71.0M | $21.4M | $295.6M | $9.6M | $24.4M | −$7.1M | −$4.2M | $7.8M | $18.3M | $13.5M | $76.7M |
| Cash from operating activities | $196.3M | $259.7M | $227.6M | $371.1M | $174.3M | $156.9M | $103.7M | $349.4M | −$159.4M | $58.3M | $263.7M | $195.5M |
| Investing activities | ||||||||||||
| Capital expenditures | −$80.0M | −$41.0M | −$73.9M | −$45.4M | −$39.8M | −$28.7M | −$26.9M | −$83.5M | −$19.6M | −$16.9M | −$16.6M | −$22.8M |
| Investments (net) | −$37.4M | −$112.9M | $30.0M | $62.8M | $19.7M | $19.6M | −$67.1M | −$148.9M | −$18.8M | −$156.8M | $18.1M | −$98.1M |
| Acquisitions & other investing | $0 | $1.0M | $0 | −$231.1M | $39.8M | $28.7M | $26.9M | $83.5M | $19.6M | $16.9M | $16.6M | $22.8M |
| Cash from investing activities | −$117.4M | −$152.9M | −$43.9M | −$213.8M | $19.7M | $19.6M | −$67.1M | −$148.9M | −$18.8M | −$156.8M | $18.1M | −$98.1M |
| Financing activities | ||||||||||||
| Dividends paid | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | −$1 | −$830,000 |
| Share repurchases & issuance (net) | −$271.9M | −$160.0M | −$80.5M | −$42.2M | −$81.8M | −$103.8M | −$106.7M | −$175.3M | −$31.0M | −$69.0M | −$38.2M | −$193.2M |
| Net borrowing (repayment) | $744.4M | −$7.0M | −$1.2M | −$4.0M | −$4.0M | −$4.0M | −$3.9M | −$6.9M | −$3.9M | — | — | −$3.1M |
| Shares issued | $20.8M | $0 | $17.2M | $2,000 | $18.7M | $0 | $17.1M | $0 | $17.4M | $0 | $16.9M | $81,000 |
| Other financing | $829.8M | −$178.2M | −$90.1M | −$73.5M | −$17.8M | −$3,000 | −$10,000 | $33.4M | −$11.0M | −$4.0M | −$11.1M | −$127,000 |
| Cash from financing activities | $1.32B | −$345.2M | −$154.5M | −$119.8M | −$84.9M | −$107.8M | −$93.5M | −$148.7M | −$28.5M | −$73.0M | −$32.3M | −$197.2M |
| Summary | ||||||||||||
| Net change in cash | $1.40B | −$241.7M | $31.5M | $35.7M | $106.3M | $75.0M | −$60.1M | $51.5M | −$207.9M | −$173.5M | $254.1M | −$107.2M |
| Cash at end of period | $2.45B | $881.9M | $1.12B | $1.09B | $1.06B | $949.9M | $874.9M | $935.0M | $883.5M | $1.09B | $1.26B | $1.01B |
| Free cash flow | $116.3M | $218.7M | $153.8M | $325.6M | $134.6M | $128.2M | $76.8M | $265.8M | −$179.0M | $41.4M | $247.1M | $172.7M |
| Free cash flow margin | 7.0% | 13.9% | 10.8% | 24.1% | 11.0% | 11.4% | 7.2% | 23.6% | −19.0% | 4.4% | 23.8% | 15.3% |
| Capex / revenue | 4.8% | 2.6% | 5.2% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 2.6% | 2.5% | 7.4% | 2.1% | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.0% |
| Operating cash flow / net income | 0.74 | 1.19 | 1.51 | 19.04 | 3.47 | 17.50 | 2.33 | 9.44 | −11.20 | — | 5.32 | 2.14 |
Negative numbers are cash paid out. Quarterly columns are labeled by the month the quarter ended. Figures in U.S. dollars as reported; data from EODHD.
CIEN cash generation
In fiscal 2025 (ended October 31, 2025), Ciena generated $806.1 million of cash from operations (up 56.7%) and spent $140.8 million on capital expenditures, leaving free cash flow of $665.3 million, 13.9% of revenue. It returned $334.5 million to shareholders through dividends ($0) and net share buybacks ($334.5 million). Cash and equivalents rose by $157.1 million over the year.
Related: CIEN income statement, CIEN balance sheet. See the CIEN stock overview for the latest quote and news.
CIEN cash flow FAQ
What is Ciena's free cash flow?
Ciena's free cash flow was $665.3 million in fiscal 2025: $806.1 million of operating cash flow minus $140.8 million of capital expenditures It was $377.9 million a year earlier..
How much cash does Ciena generate from operations?
Ciena generated $806.1 million of cash from operating activities in fiscal 2025, 6.54 times its net income of $123.3 million.
How much does Ciena spend on capital expenditures?
Ciena spent $140.8 million on capital expenditures in fiscal 2025, 3.0% of revenue, compared with $136.6 million the year before.
How much stock does Ciena buy back?
Ciena spent $334.5 million on net share repurchases in fiscal 2025.