Ciena capital spending

Ciena’s quarterly capital spending has been above the same quarter a year earlier for three consecutive quarters. Over the latest four quarters it generated $1.1 billion from operations and spent $0.2 billion, leaving $0.8 billion of free cash flow against $0.6 billion over the four before.

The dot is the quarter’s change in cash. Hover a quarter to read it.

Millions of dollars, outflows positive as reported in the cash flow statement.

Ciena discloses equipment acquired under finance leases only in its annual 10-K, so this section runs by fiscal year as filed. The addition is a non-cash item and is not in cash capital spending.

Quarter-end balances. Gross debt is long-term plus current debt as reported; net debt is gross debt less cash and investments, negative when the company holds more than it owes.

Segments are the company’s own, as tagged in its segment note, and are not comparable across companies. Operating income is reported only for reportable segments.

Gross cost before depreciation, by the classes the company reports. Classes read: Building Subject To Capital Lease, Equipment Furniture and Fixtures, Leasehold Improvements.

Ciena does not name these customers, and “Customer A” in one period need not be the same customer in another. Shares are as disclosed under the concentration-of-risk note; a quarter and a year-to-date share can appear for the same period end. 3 customer labels seen in filings since 2023.

In 2026 Ciena has priced $2.9B of notes and term loans in 1 filing. Read from pricing term sheets, prospectus supplements and 8-K filings; commercial paper and bank lines drawn without an 8-K are not here, and the cash flow statement above remains the complete record.

At Aug 2026 Ciena carried $2.5B of remaining performance obligations, 0.4× its trailing four quarters of revenue. Remaining performance obligations are contracted revenue not yet recognised, under the company’s own definition; deferred revenue is the part already billed. Neither is comparable across companies.

In Aug 2026 Ciena spent 2.3× what it recorded as depreciation of property and equipment. Depreciation of property and equipment excludes amortization of acquired intangibles, shown separately. Depreciation reported in 57 of 71 quarters on file.

Millions of dollars. Negatives in parentheses. A dash means the filing did not report it or the extract withheld it. Fiscal quarter labels follow the company’s calendar.

Terms used on this page

Capital expenditures (capex)Free cash flowCapex versus depreciationLong-term debt. The methodology sets out every definition and its limits.