AVGO vs. CSCO: Broadcom vs. Cisco Systems Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Broadcom (AVGO) and Cisco Systems (CSCO) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Broadcom (AVGO) and Cisco Systems (CSCO) share the Information Technology sector but sit in different industry groups — AVGO in Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and CSCO in Technology Hardware & Equipment.

Company profile comparison for Broadcom (AVGO) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Profile Item	AVGO	CSCO
Name	Broadcom Inc.	Cisco Systems, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Technology Hardware & Equipment
GICS Industry	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Communications Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Semiconductors	Communications Equipment
Market Capitalization	1,401.97 billion USD	370.01 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	August 6, 2009	February 16, 1990
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AVGO

CSCO

GSPC

Broadcom (AVGO) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: 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 Broadcom (AVGO) and Cisco Systems (CSCO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Broadcom (AVGO) and Cisco Systems (CSCO). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Broadcom (AVGO) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	AVGO	CSCO
Total Return (1Y)	-8.02%	40.88%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	53.49%	26.81%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	44.26%	14.44%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AVGO

CSCO

GSPC

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

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Broadcom (AVGO) and Cisco Systems (CSCO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Broadcom (AVGO) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	AVGO	CSCO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	48.06%	36.83%
Beta (5Y)	1.50	1.02
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-41.15%	-36.68%
Avg. Volume (3M)	23.75M	18.52M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AVGO and CSCO are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Broadcom (AVGO) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	AVGO	CSCO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.26	0.99
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.35	1.44

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Broadcom (AVGO) at 44.25% and Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.32% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

AVGO

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

44.25%

Max: 52.82%
AVGO: 44.25%
Q3: 22.26%
Median: 10.58%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

27.32%

Max: 42.47%
CSCO: 27.32%
Q3: 19.13%
Median: 11.00%
Q1: 1.63%
Min: -20.62%

Broadcom (AVGO) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Broadcom (AVGO) at 42.94% and Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 20.95% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

AVGO

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

42.94%

Max: 63.80%
AVGO: 42.94%
Q3: 28.36%
Median: 11.44%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

20.95%

Max: 27.60%
CSCO: 20.95%
Q3: 11.66%
Median: 4.08%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -11.02%

Broadcom (AVGO) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Broadcom (AVGO) at 54.31% and Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.72% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

AVGO

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

54.31%

Max: 58.66%
AVGO: 54.31%
Q3: 30.23%
Median: 15.91%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

27.72%

Max: 36.27%
CSCO: 27.72%
Q3: 18.36%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%

Broadcom (AVGO) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Broadcom (AVGO) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	AVGO	CSCO
ROE (TTM)	44.25%	27.32%
ROA (TTM)	15.37%	7.98%
Net Margin (TTM)	42.94%	20.95%
Operating Margin (TTM)	54.31%	27.72%
Gross Margin (TTM)	75.52%	64.52%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Broadcom (AVGO) at 23.87% and Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 11.78% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Broadcom (AVGO) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Broadcom (AVGO) reports EPS growth of 287.80%, ranked against its industry; Cisco Systems (CSCO) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Broadcom (AVGO) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Broadcom (AVGO) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	AVGO	CSCO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	23.87%	11.78%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	24.38%	3.57%
EPS Growth (YoY)	287.80%	--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	21.60%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Broadcom (AVGO) at 2.50 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.93 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CSCO.

AVGO

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.50

Max: 10.33
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
AVGO: 2.50
Q1: 2.35
Min: 1.03

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.93

Max: 5.34
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.32
CSCO: 0.93
Min: 0.17

Broadcom (AVGO) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Broadcom (AVGO) at 0.60 and Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.62 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

AVGO

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.60

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.65
AVGO: 0.60
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.62

Max: 1.76
Q3: 0.78
CSCO: 0.62
Median: 0.24
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.01

Broadcom (AVGO) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Broadcom (AVGO) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	AVGO	CSCO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.50	0.93
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.60	0.62
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.68	0.82

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Broadcom (AVGO) at 0.89% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 1.73% is past the top of its own peer range — territory where a dividend-safety check matters more than the headline number.

AVGO

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.89%

Max: 1.37%
AVGO: 0.89%
Q3: 0.65%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.73%

CSCO: 1.73%
Max: 0.73%
Q3: 0.31%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Broadcom (AVGO) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both pay out more than their industries’ typical bands, and CSCO more so: Broadcom (AVGO) at 32.44% sits above the band, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 49.85% exceeds every peer in its group.

AVGO

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

32.44%

Max: 49.64%
AVGO: 32.44%
Q3: 21.71%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

49.85%

CSCO: 49.85%
Max: 32.27%
Q3: 14.48%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Broadcom (AVGO) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Broadcom (AVGO) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	AVGO	CSCO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.89%	1.73%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	32.44%	49.85%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Broadcom (AVGO) at 37.51 and Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 28.18 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

AVGO

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

37.51

Max: 110.34
Q3: 66.81
AVGO: 37.51
Median: 37.02
Q1: 23.96
Min: 8.12

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

28.18

Max: 69.48
Q3: 41.02
CSCO: 28.18
Median: 26.39
Q1: 19.36
Min: 6.07

Broadcom (AVGO) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Broadcom (AVGO) at 15.73 and Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 5.84 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

AVGO

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

15.73

Max: 21.42
AVGO: 15.73
Q3: 12.27
Median: 5.76
Q1: 2.73
Min: 0.00

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

5.84

Max: 11.30
CSCO: 5.84
Q3: 5.82
Median: 2.56
Q1: 1.05
Min: 0.00

Broadcom (AVGO) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Broadcom (AVGO) at 14.06 and Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 7.36 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

AVGO

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

14.06

AVGO: 14.06
Max: 14.06
Q3: 7.44
Median: 4.29
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.20

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

7.36

Max: 10.75
CSCO: 7.36
Q3: 5.52
Median: 3.17
Q1: 1.79
Min: 0.33

Broadcom (AVGO) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Broadcom (AVGO) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	AVGO	CSCO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	37.51	28.18
P/S Ratio (TTM)	15.73	5.84
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	14.06	7.36
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.18%	3.02%