UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549


FORM 8-K


CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT
TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


Date of report (Date of earliest event reported)  

September 4, 2008

Ciena Corporation

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Delaware

(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)

0-21969

23-2725311

(Commission File Number)

(IRS Employer Identification No.)

1201 Winterson Road, Linthicum, MD

 

21090

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)   (Zip Code)

(410) 865-8500

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

 

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)


Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))


ITEM 2.02  -  RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION

On September 4, 2008, Ciena Corporation issued a press release announcing its financial results for the third fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2008. The text of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Report. The information in this Report shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

ITEM 9.01  -  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

  (c) The following exhibit is being filed herewith:
 

Exhibit Number

Description of Document

 
Exhibit 99.1

Text of Press Release dated September 4, 2008, issued by Ciena Corporation, reporting its results of operations for the third fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2008.


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


Ciena Corporation

 

 

Date:

September 4, 2008

By:

/s/ Russell B. Stevenson, Jr.

Russell B. Stevenson, Jr.

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and

Secretary

Exhibit 99.1

Ciena Reports Fiscal Third Quarter 2008 Results

Delivers 5% Sequential and 24% Year-Over-Year Revenue Growth; Revises Q4 Outlook

LINTHICUM, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ciena® Corporation (NASDAQ:CIEN), the network specialist, today announced results for its fiscal third quarter ended July 31, 2008. Revenue for the third quarter totaled $253.2 million, representing a 5% sequential increase from fiscal second quarter 2008 revenue of $242.2 million, and an increase of 24% over the same period a year ago when Ciena reported revenue of $205 million. For the nine months ended July 31, 2008, Ciena reported revenue of $722.8 million, representing an increase of 28% over revenue of $563.6 million for the same nine-month period in fiscal 2007.

On the basis of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), Ciena’s net income for the fiscal third quarter 2008 was $11.7 million, or $0.12 per diluted common share. This compares to fiscal second quarter GAAP net income of $23.8 million, or $0.23 per diluted common share, and a reported GAAP net income of $28.3 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, for the same period a year ago. For the nine months ended July 31, 2008, Ciena’s reported GAAP net income was $64.3 million, or $0.63 per diluted common share. This compares to a GAAP net income of $52.4 million, or $0.57 per diluted common share, for the same period in fiscal 2007.

Ciena’s adjusted (non-GAAP) net income for the fiscal third quarter 2008 was $39.8 million, or $0.37 per diluted common share. This compares to fiscal second quarter adjusted (non-GAAP) net income of $42.3 million, or $0.40 per diluted common share, and adjusted (non-GAAP) net income of $40.0 million or $0.41 per diluted common share in the fiscal third quarter 2007. A reconciliation between the GAAP and adjusted (non-GAAP) measures contained in this release is provided in the table in Appendix A.

“Our fiscal third quarter performance was solid,” said Gary Smith, Ciena’s president and CEO. “We delivered our eighteenth quarter of sequential revenue growth, gross and operating margins in-line with our targets, and improvement across several key balance sheet metrics.”


Third Quarter 2008 Performance Highlights

Third Quarter 2008 Customer and Product Highlights

Business Outlook

“In addition to existing customer-specific challenges, we have recently begun to experience order delays from many of our Tier One service provider customers, which we attribute to their guarded approach to capital expenditures given the uncertain macroeconomic environment,” said Smith. “While we’ve seen no project or order cancellations, sales cycles are lengthening and some deployments are slowing. As a result, we now expect fiscal fourth quarter revenue in a range of $190 to $210 million.”


“While current economic conditions warrant a cautious near-term outlook, the fundamental drivers of our business – growing capacity demands and the transition to more efficient, more powerful, automated networks – remain sound. We are confident that our portfolio and value propositions are differentiated, positioning us to take advantage of what is predicted to be a longer-term investment cycle in the transition from SONET/SDH to Ethernet-based networks,” said Smith.

Live Web Broadcast of Fiscal Third Quarter Results

Ciena will host a discussion of its fiscal third quarter results with investors and financial analysts today, Thursday, September 4, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern). The live broadcast of the discussion will be available via Ciena’s homepage at www.ciena.com. An archived version of the discussion will be available shortly following the conclusion of the live broadcast on the Investor Relations page of Ciena’s website at: http://www.ciena.com/investors.

Note to Investors

Forward-looking statements. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof; and Ciena’s actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied, due to risks and uncertainties associated with its business, which include the risk factors disclosed in its Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 6, 2008. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding Ciena’s expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future and can be identified by forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “should,” “will,” and “would” or similar words. Forward-looking statements in this release include: while we’ve seen no project or order cancellations, sales cycles are lengthening and some deployments are slowing; as a result, we now expect fiscal fourth quarter revenue in a range of $190 to $210 million; while current economic conditions warrant a cautious near-term outlook, the fundamental drivers of our business – growing capacity demands and the transition to the more efficient, more powerful, automated networks – remain sound; and we are confident that our portfolio and value propositions are differentiated, positioning us to take advantage of what is predicted to be a longer-term investment cycle in the transition from SONET/SDH to Ethernet-based networks. Ciena assumes no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Non-GAAP Presentation of Quarterly Results. This release includes non-GAAP measures of Ciena’s gross profit, operating expense, income from operations and net income. In evaluating the operating performance of Ciena’s business, management excludes certain charges and credits that are required by GAAP. These items, share one or more of the following characteristics: they are unusual and Ciena does not expect them to recur in the ordinary course of its business; they do not involve the expenditure of cash; they are unrelated to the ongoing operation of the business in the ordinary course; or their magnitude and timing is largely outside of Ciena’s control. Management believes that the non-GAAP measures below provide management and investors useful information and meaningful insight to the operating performance of the business. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to Ciena’s GAAP results and these measures are not intended to be a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. Ciena’s non-GAAP measures and the related adjustments may differ from non-GAAP measures used by other companies and should only be used to evaluate Ciena’s results of operations in conjunction with our corresponding GAAP results. For a complete GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures contained in this release, see Appendix A.

About Ciena

Ciena specializes in the transition to service-driven networks. We provide flexible platforms, intelligent software and professional services to help our customers use their networks to fundamentally change the way they compete. With a growing global presence, Ciena leverages its heritage of practical innovation to deliver maximum performance and economic value in communications networks worldwide. We routinely post recent news, financial results and other important announcements and information about Ciena on our website at www.ciena.com.

EMC and Smarts are registered trademarks of EMC Corporation.


 
CIENA CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)
       

Quarter Ended

July 31,

Nine Months Ended

July 31,

2007 2008 2007 2008
Revenues:
Products $ 182,143 $ 223,661 $ 501,637 $ 641,632
Services   22,808     29,518     61,942     81,162  
Total revenue   204,951     253,179     563,579     722,794  
 
Costs:
Products 84,383 107,953 250,681 295,381
Services   22,903     19,595     59,775     57,617  
Total cost of goods sold   107,286     127,548     310,456     352,998  
Gross profit   97,665     125,631     253,123     369,796  
Operating expense:
Research and development 31,671 47,809 93,166 127,881
Selling and marketing 30,303 39,440 85,360 111,639
General and administrative 14,564 14,758 36,562 54,036
Amortization of intangible assets 6,295 8,671 18,885 23,901
Restructuring recoveries   (1,196 )   -     (2,396 )   -  
Total operating expense   81,637     110,678     231,577     317,457  
Income from operations 16,028 14,953 21,546 52,339
Interest and other income, net 19,464 5,342 51,206 32,911
Interest expense (6,931 ) (1,855 ) (19,227 ) (11,074 )
Gain on equity investments, net 592 - 592 -
Realized loss on marketable debt investments   -     (5,114 )   -     (5,114 )
Income before income taxes 29,153 13,326 54,117 69,062
Provision for income taxes   841     1,603     1,739     4,772  
Net income $ 28,312   $ 11,723   $ 52,378   $ 64,290  
Basic net income per common share $ 0.33   $ 0.13   $ 0.61   $ 0.72  
Diluted net income per potential common share $ 0.29   $ 0.12   $ 0.57   $ 0.63  
Weighted average basic common shares outstanding   85,651     90,216     85,268     88,871  
Weighted average dilutive potential common shares outstanding   101,568     111,681     96,189     110,654  
 

 

CIENA CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except share data)
(unaudited)
   
ASSETS
October 31, July 31,

Current assets:

2007 2008
Cash and cash equivalents $ 892,061 $ 873,103
Short-term investments 822,185 155,818
Accounts receivable, net 104,078 138,142
Inventories 102,618 106,343
Prepaid expenses and other   47,817     38,624  
Total current assets 1,968,759 1,312,030
Long-term investments 33,946 57,155
Equipment, furniture and fixtures, net 46,671 58,723
Goodwill 232,015 455,721
Other intangible assets, net 67,144 102,262
Other long-term assets   67,738     75,808  
Total assets $ 2,416,273   $ 2,061,699  
 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
 
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable $ 55,389 $ 61,780
Accrued liabilities 90,922 90,877
Restructuring liabilities 1,026 687
Income taxes payable 7,768 2,140
Deferred revenue 33,025 37,896
Convertible notes payable   542,262     -  
Total current liabilities 730,392 193,380
Long-term deferred revenue 30,615 38,469
Long-term restructuring liabilities 3,662 3,350
Other long-term obligations 1,450 7,938
Convertible notes payable   800,000     800,000  
Total liabilities   1,566,119     1,043,137  
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred stock – par value $0.01; 20,000,000 shares authorized; zero shares issued and outstanding - -
Common stock – par value $0.01; 140,000,000 and 290,000,000 shares authorized; 86,752,069 and 90,297,280 shares issued and outstanding 868 903
Additional paid-in capital 5,519,741 5,621,630
Changes in unrealized gains on investments, net 350 43
Translation adjustment (1,593 ) 768
Accumulated deficit   (4,669,212 )   (4,604,782 )
Total stockholders' equity   850,154     1,018,562  
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 2,416,273   $ 2,061,699  
 

 
CIENA CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
(unaudited)
 

Nine Months Ended

July 31,

2007   2008
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income $ 52,378 $ 64,290
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Amortization of discount on marketable securities (8,093 ) (1,827 )
Loss from equity investments and marketable securities - 5,114
Depreciation and amortization of leasehold improvements 9,407 13,345
Share-based compensation 14,258 24,406
Amortization of intangibles 21,788 27,942
Deferred tax provision - 1,640
Provision for inventory excess and obsolescence 8,860 13,841
Provision for warranty 8,910 11,234
Other 1,754 3,510
Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effect of acquisition:
Accounts receivable (10,634 ) (32,070 )
Inventories (7,916 ) (4,694 )
Prepaid expenses and other (16,776 ) (616 )
Accounts payable and accruals 3,316 (7,927 )
Income taxes payable 695 (5,515 )
Deferred revenue and other obligations   19,448     9,554  
Net cash provided by operating activities   97,395     122,227  
Cash flows from investing activities:
Payments for equipment, furniture, fixtures and intellectual property (21,442 ) (22,947 )
Restricted cash (11,904 ) 1,420
Purchase of available for sale securities (564,399 ) (180,613 )
Proceeds from maturities of available for sale securities 539,663 820,177
Minority equity investments, net 411 -
Acquisition of business, net of cash acquired   -     (210,016 )
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities   (57,671 )   408,021  
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of convertible senior notes 500,000 -
Repayment of 3.75% convertible notes payable at maturity - (542,262 )
Debt issuance costs (11,431 ) -
Purchase of call spread option (42,500 ) -
Repayment of indebtedness of acquired business - (12,363 )
Proceeds from issuance of common stock   18,314     5,246  
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities   464,383     (549,379 )
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents - 173
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 504,107 (19,131 )
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period   220,164     892,061  
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 724,271   $ 873,103  
 
Non-cash investing and financing activities
Purchase of equipment in accounts payable $ - $ 1,717
Value of common stock issued in acquisition $ - $ 62,359
Fair value of vested options assumed in acquisition $ - $ 9,912
 

 
APPENDIX A – Reconciliation of Adjusted (Non-GAAP) Measures
 
Quarter Ended
July 31,   April 30,   July 31,
    2007   2008   2008
Gross Profit Reconciliation (GAAP/non-GAAP)
GAAP gross profit $ 97,665   $ 127,596   $ 125,631  

Share-based compensation - product

131 742 1,042

Share-based compensation - services

225 392 404
Amortization of intangible assets - - 1,139
Fair value adjustment of acquired inventory   -     1,066     4,278  
Total adjustments related to gross profit   356     2,200     6,863  
Adjusted (non-GAAP) gross profit $ 98,021   $ 129,796   $ 132,494  
Adjusted (non-GAAP) gross margin 48 % 54 % 52 %
 
Operating Expense Reconciliation (GAAP/non-GAAP)
GAAP operating expense $ 81,637   $ 108,629   $ 110,678  
Share-based compensation - research and development 985 2,286 2,198
Share-based compensation - sales and marketing 1,898 3,022 2,930
Share-based compensation - general and administrative 1,724 2,233 2,343
Amortization of intangible assets 6,295 8,760 8,671
Litigation settlement 2,250 - -
Restructuring recoveries   (1,196 )   -     -  
Total adjustments related to operating expense   11,956     16,301     16,142  
Adjusted (non-GAAP) operating expense $ 69,681   $ 92,328   $ 94,536  
 
Income from Operations Reconciliation (GAAP/non-GAAP)
GAAP income from operations $ 16,028 $ 18,967 $ 14,953
Total adjustments related to gross profit 356 2,200 6,863
Total adjustments related to operating expense   11,956     16,301     16,142  
Adjusted (non-GAAP) income from operations $ 28,340   $ 37,468   $ 37,958  
Adjusted (non-GAAP) operating margin 14 % 15 % 15 %
 
Net Income Reconciliation (GAAP/non-GAAP)
GAAP net income $ 28,312 $ 23,760 $ 11,723
Total adjustments related to gross profit 356 2,200 6,863
Total adjustments related to operating expense 11,956 16,301 16,142
Gain on equity investments, net (592 ) - -
Realized loss on marketable debt investments   -     -     5,114  
Adjusted (non-GAAP) net income $ 40,032   $ 42,261   $ 39,842  
 
Weighted average basic common shares outstanding 85,651 89,102 90,216

Weighted average basic common and dilutive potential common shares outstanding

101,568 110,770 111,681
 
Net Income per Common Share
GAAP diluted net income per common share1 $ 0.29 $ 0.23 $ 0.12
Adjusted (non-GAAP) diluted net income per common share1 $ 0.41 $ 0.40 $ 0.37
 

1

  Note that calculating GAAP and adjusted (non-GAAP) diluted earnings per common share for the fiscal third quarters 2007 and 2008 requires adding interest expense of approximately $1.3 and $1.9 million associated with Ciena's 0.25% and 0.875% convertible senior notes in 2007 and 2008 respectively, to GAAP and adjusted (non-GAAP) net income in order to arrive at the numerator for the earnings per common share calculation. Likewise calculating GAAP and adjusted (non-GAAP) diluted earnings per common share for the fiscal second quarter of 2008 requires adding interest expense of approximately $1.9 million associated with Ciena's 0.25% and 0.875% convertible senior notes.
 

The adjusted (non-GAAP) measures above and their reconciliation to Ciena’s GAAP results for the periods presented reflect adjustments relating to the following items:

CONTACT:
Ciena Corporation
Press Contact:
Nicole Anderson, 410-694-5786
pr@ciena.com
or
Investor Contact:
Marie Downing, 888-243-6223
ir@ciena.com