CSCO vs. FLEX: Cisco Systems vs. Flex Stock Comparison

August 16, 2026

How do Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Flex (FLEX) 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

Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Flex (FLEX) both fall under the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group, but CSCO is classified in Communications Equipment while FLEX is classified in Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components.

Company profile comparison for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Flex (FLEX)
Profile Item	CSCO	FLEX
Name	Cisco Systems, Inc.	Flex Ltd.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Technology Hardware & Equipment	Technology Hardware & Equipment
GICS Industry	Communications Equipment	Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components
GICS Sub-Industry	Communications Equipment	Electronic Manufacturing Services
Market Capitalization	440.18 billion USD	46.60 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	February 16, 1990	March 18, 1994
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CSCO

FLEX

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Flex (FLEX), 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

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Trailing total returns for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Flex (FLEX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Flex (FLEX)
Metric	CSCO	FLEX
Total Return (1Y)	64.49%	155.18%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	30.91%	84.47%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	17.86%	55.85%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CSCO

FLEX

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Flex (FLEX), 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

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Flex (FLEX)
Metric	CSCO	FLEX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	34.10%	67.30%
Beta (5Y)	1.00	1.68
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-36.68%	-39.99%
Avg. Volume (3M)	25.50M	6.49M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CSCO and FLEX are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Flex (FLEX)
Metric	CSCO	FLEX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.77	2.25
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.61	4.13

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.32% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Flex (FLEX) at 18.38% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for CSCO.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

27.32%

Max: 44.01%
CSCO: 27.32%
Q3: 18.43%
Median: 10.41%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: -24.95%

FLEX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

18.38%

Max: 44.01%
Q3: 18.43%
FLEX: 18.38%
Median: 10.41%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: -24.95%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Flex (FLEX): A comparison of their ROE against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 20.95% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Flex (FLEX) at 3.33%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

20.95%

Max: 26.11%
CSCO: 20.95%
Q3: 10.66%
Median: 3.40%
Q1: -0.39%
Min: -11.93%

FLEX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

3.33%

Max: 26.11%
Q3: 10.66%
Median: 3.40%
FLEX: 3.33%
Q1: -0.39%
Min: -11.93%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Flex (FLEX): A comparison of their net margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.70% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Flex (FLEX) at 4.97%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

27.70%

Max: 36.90%
CSCO: 27.70%
Q3: 17.13%
Median: 7.40%
Q1: 2.09%
Min: -18.45%

FLEX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

4.97%

Max: 36.90%
Q3: 17.13%
Median: 7.40%
FLEX: 4.97%
Q1: 2.09%
Min: -18.45%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Flex (FLEX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Flex (FLEX)
Metric	CSCO	FLEX
ROE (TTM)	27.32%	18.38%
ROA (TTM)	7.98%	4.42%
Net Margin (TTM)	20.95%	3.33%
Operating Margin (TTM)	27.70%	4.97%
Gross Margin (TTM)	64.56%	9.53%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 5.30% and Flex (FLEX) at 8.14% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 2.76% and Flex (FLEX) at 10.43% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Flex (FLEX)
Metric	CSCO	FLEX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.30%	8.14%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.19%	-0.69%
EPS Growth (YoY)	2.76%	10.43%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.55%	10.65%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Flex (FLEX) at 1.38 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.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.93

Max: 4.95
Q3: 3.05
Median: 1.99
Q1: 1.32
CSCO: 0.93
Min: 0.17

FLEX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.38

Max: 4.95
Q3: 3.05
Median: 1.99
FLEX: 1.38
Q1: 1.32
Min: 0.17

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Flex (FLEX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.59 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Flex (FLEX) at 1.08 uses more debt funding than most peers.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.59

Max: 1.80
Q3: 0.82
CSCO: 0.59
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

FLEX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.08

Max: 1.80
FLEX: 1.08
Q3: 0.82
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Flex (FLEX): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Flex (FLEX)
Metric	CSCO	FLEX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.93	1.38
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.59	1.08
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.73	1.46

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Flex (FLEX) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Cisco Systems (CSCO) reports a yield of 1.46%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.46%

CSCO: 1.46%
Max: 0.74%
Q3: 0.32%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

FLEX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 0.74%
Q3: 0.32%
FLEX: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Flex (FLEX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Flex (FLEX) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Cisco Systems (CSCO) reports a payout of 49.85%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

49.85%

CSCO: 49.85%
Max: 34.91%
Q3: 14.28%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

FLEX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 34.91%
Q3: 14.28%
FLEX: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Flex (FLEX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Flex (FLEX)
Metric	CSCO	FLEX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.46%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	49.85%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 34.15 and Flex (FLEX) at 48.71 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

34.15

Max: 106.10
Q3: 62.78
Median: 36.76
CSCO: 34.15
Q1: 22.85
Min: 11.58

FLEX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

48.71

Max: 106.10
Q3: 62.78
FLEX: 48.71
Median: 36.76
Q1: 22.85
Min: 11.58

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Flex (FLEX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 6.95 and Flex (FLEX) at 1.59 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

6.95

Max: 17.14
Q3: 7.76
CSCO: 6.95
Median: 3.42
Q1: 1.39
Min: 0.00

FLEX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.59

Max: 17.14
Q3: 7.76
Median: 3.42
FLEX: 1.59
Q1: 1.39
Min: 0.00

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Flex (FLEX): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Flex (FLEX) at 8.47 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 9.01 carries an above-peer premium to book — CSCO is pricier on assets.

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

9.01

Max: 17.63
CSCO: 9.01
Q3: 8.56
Median: 4.23
Q1: 2.14
Min: -1.92

FLEX

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

8.47

Max: 17.63
Q3: 8.56
FLEX: 8.47
Median: 4.23
Q1: 2.14
Min: -1.92

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Flex (FLEX): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Flex (FLEX)
Metric	CSCO	FLEX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	34.15	48.71
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.95	1.59
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	9.01	8.47
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.63%	1.34%