Cisco Systems (CSCO) Stock Analysis

June 13, 2026

Here is a fundamental analysis of Cisco Systems (CSCO), benchmarking its profitability, financial strength, dividend and valuation against its industry group peers.

Performance

Cumulative Growth

CSCO

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. S&P 500 (GSPC): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and S&P 500 (GSPC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Cisco Systems (CSCO) metric values compared with Technology Hardware & Equipment industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: CSCO	Industry group median
1-Year Return	90.30%	69.29%

Risk

Drawdown

CSCO

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. S&P 500 (GSPC): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk at a Glance

Cisco Systems (CSCO) metric values compared with Technology Hardware & Equipment industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: CSCO	Industry group median
1-Year Volatility	30.97%	53.66%
Beta	1.01	1.32

Company Profile

Company profile fields for Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Profile Item	CSCO
Name	Cisco Systems, Inc.
Country/Region	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Technology Hardware & Equipment
GICS Industry	Communications Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Communications Equipment
Market Capitalization	477.31 billion USD
Currency	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq
Listing Date	February 16, 1990
Security Type	Common Stock

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) trades at P/E ratio of 40.37, near the industry’s usual earnings multiple. The stock is not showing a clear peer discount or premium on trailing earnings.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

40.37

Group distribution

Max: 171.43
Q3: 83.19
CSCO: 40.37
Median: 39.13
Q1: 23.68
Min: 9.35

Largest peers

STX: 88.50
SNDK: 67.56
ANET: 56.10
CSCO: 40.37
AAPL: 35.20
WDC: 33.67
DELL: 31.54

Where Cisco Systems (CSCO) stands on P/E ratio within its Technology Hardware & Equipment peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) trades at 7.86 on P/S ratio, roughly in the peer group’s normal range. The market is not making a strong cheap-or-rich statement about its revenue base.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

7.86

Group distribution

Max: 19.39
Q3: 9.05
CSCO: 7.86
Median: 4.10
Q1: 1.42
Min: 0.00

Largest peers

SNDK: 22.24
ANET: 21.17
STX: 19.13
WDC: 16.48
AAPL: 9.47
CSCO: 7.86
DELL: 1.91

Where Cisco Systems (CSCO) stands on P/S ratio within its Technology Hardware & Equipment peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) trades at 9.77 on P/B ratio, in the higher book-value quartile. The market is paying a premium to book, so stronger ROE, cleaner assets, or a better growth profile need to justify it.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

9.77

Group distribution

Max: 17.76
CSCO: 9.77
Q3: 9.32
Median: 4.56
Q1: 2.09
Min: -3.27

Largest peers

STX: 190.79
AAPL: 40.10
WDC: 26.91
SNDK: 21.27
ANET: 15.24
CSCO: 9.77
DELL: -182.88

Where Cisco Systems (CSCO) stands on P/B ratio within its Technology Hardware & Equipment peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Valuation at a Glance

Cisco Systems (CSCO) metric values compared with Technology Hardware & Equipment industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: CSCO	Industry group median
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)	40.37	39.13
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)	7.86	4.10
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)	9.77	4.56
Free Cash Flow Yield	1.95%	1.95%

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) posts ROE of 25.23%, in the upper peer quartile. That suggests the company earns more from each dollar of shareholders’ equity than most industry peers, a useful capital-efficiency signal.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

25.23%

Group distribution

Max: 44.16%
CSCO: 25.23%
Q3: 19.25%
Median: 10.96%
Q1: 0.71%
Min: -25.92%

Largest peers

STX: 1,787.97%
AAPL: 141.47%
WDC: 85.92%
SNDK: 39.30%
ANET: 31.52%
CSCO: 25.23%
DELL: --

Where Cisco Systems (CSCO) stands on ROE within its Technology Hardware & Equipment peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Net Profit Margin (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) keeps 19.69% of revenue as net profit, putting net margin in the upper peer quartile. After operating costs, interest, and taxes, more of each sales dollar reaches shareholders than it does at most industry peers.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

19.69%

Group distribution

Max: 30.43%
CSCO: 19.69%
Q3: 12.35%
Median: 4.45%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -14.09%

Largest peers

WDC: 55.29%
ANET: 38.32%
SNDK: 34.19%
AAPL: 27.15%
STX: 21.60%
CSCO: 19.69%
DELL: 6.28%

Where Cisco Systems (CSCO) stands on net margin within its Technology Hardware & Equipment peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) turns 24.99% of revenue into operating profit, putting operating margin in the upper peer quartile. Before financing and taxes enter the picture, the day-to-day business keeps more of each sales dollar than most industry peers.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

24.99%

Group distribution

Max: 35.67%
CSCO: 24.99%
Q3: 15.55%
Median: 6.62%
Q1: 1.55%
Min: -18.45%

Largest peers

SNDK: 69.98%
ANET: 42.74%
WDC: 37.01%
STX: 35.67%
AAPL: 32.28%
CSCO: 24.99%
DELL: 8.86%

Where Cisco Systems (CSCO) stands on operating margin within its Technology Hardware & Equipment peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Profitability at a Glance

Cisco Systems (CSCO) metric values compared with Technology Hardware & Equipment industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: CSCO	Industry group median
Return on Equity (TTM)	25.23%	10.96%
Return on Assets (TTM)	7.34%	4.31%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	19.69%	4.45%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	24.99%	6.62%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	64.30%	38.82%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has current ratio of 0.93, in the tighter-liquidity quartile for its industry. The short-term cushion is thinner than most peers carry, even if the absolute comfort level still depends on the business model.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.93

Group distribution

Max: 5.80
Q3: 3.18
Median: 1.90
Q1: 1.28
CSCO: 0.93
Min: 0.40

Largest peers

SNDK: 4.78
ANET: 2.83
WDC: 1.49
STX: 1.33
AAPL: 1.07
DELL: 0.95
CSCO: 0.93

Where Cisco Systems (CSCO) stands on current ratio within its Technology Hardware & Equipment peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, roughly in line with the peer group’s normal leverage range. Its mix of debt and equity looks typical for the industry.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.68

Group distribution

Max: 2.02
Q3: 0.88
CSCO: 0.68
Median: 0.31
Q1: 0.05
Min: 0.00

Largest peers

STX: 3.82
AAPL: 0.80
CSCO: 0.68
WDC: 0.18
SNDK: 0.02
DELL: --
ANET: --

Where Cisco Systems (CSCO) stands on debt-to-equity ratio within its Technology Hardware & Equipment peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Cisco Systems (CSCO) metric values compared with Technology Hardware & Equipment industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: CSCO	Industry group median
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.93	1.90
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)	0.68	0.31
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.96	0.91

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has dividend yield of 1.39%, above the entire industry range. That headline income is large, but yields this far above peers often come from a falling share price or an at-risk payout, so dividend safety matters more than the percentage itself.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.39%

Group distribution

CSCO: 1.39%
Max: 1.30%
Q3: 0.54%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Largest peers

CSCO: 1.39%
DELL: 0.64%
AAPL: 0.37%
STX: 0.32%
WDC: 0.11%
SNDK: 0.00%
ANET: 0.00%

Where Cisco Systems (CSCO) stands on dividend yield within its Technology Hardware & Equipment peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has payout ratio of 55.00%, above the peer distribution for its industry. The dividend consumes more reported earnings than peers normally do, leaving unusually thin earnings cover.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

55.00%

Group distribution

CSCO: 55.00%
Max: 37.10%
Q3: 15.46%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Largest peers

CSCO: 55.00%
STX: 27.70%
DELL: 17.57%
AAPL: 12.59%
WDC: 2.69%
SNDK: 0.00%
ANET: 0.00%

Where Cisco Systems (CSCO) stands on payout ratio within its Technology Hardware & Equipment peer group — the box is the group’s distribution and the dots its largest members.

Dividends at a Glance

Cisco Systems (CSCO) metric values compared with Technology Hardware & Equipment industry-group medians
Metric	Current stock: CSCO	Industry group median
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.39%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	55.00%	0.00%