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CSCO vs. GOOGL: Cisco Systems vs. Alphabet Stock Comparison

How do Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Alphabet (GOOGL) 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) is classified in the Information Technology sector (Technology Hardware & Equipment), whereas Alphabet (GOOGL) belongs to Communication Services (Media & Entertainment) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
Profile ItemCSCOGOOGL
NameCisco Systems, Inc.Alphabet Inc. Class A Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyCommunication Services
GICS Industry GroupTechnology Hardware & EquipmentMedia & Entertainment
GICS IndustryCommunications EquipmentInteractive Media & Services
GICS Sub-IndustryCommunications EquipmentInteractive Media & Services
Market Capitalization370.01 billion USD3,501.09 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateFebruary 16, 1990August 19, 2004
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CSCO
GOOGL
GSPC
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL), 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 Alphabet (GOOGL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
MetricCSCOGOOGL
Total Return (1Y)40.88%4.89%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)26.81%31.25%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)14.44%14.61%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CSCO
GOOGL
GSPC
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL), 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 Alphabet (GOOGL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
MetricCSCOGOOGL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)36.83%33.67%
Beta (5Y)1.021.20
Max Drawdown (5Y)-36.68%-44.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)18.52M28.79M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CSCO and GOOGL 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 Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
MetricCSCOGOOGL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.990.02
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.440.03

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.32% and Alphabet (GOOGL) at 44.29% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

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%

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

44.29%

Max
49.92%
GOOGL
44.29%
Q3
17.95%
Median
7.20%
Q1
-4.53%
Min
-26.31%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 50.03% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 20.95% also retains a top-quartile share.

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%

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

50.03%

GOOGL
50.03%
Max
32.91%
Q3
11.75%
Median
5.04%
Q1
-4.17%
Min
-25.14%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.72% and Alphabet (GOOGL) at 31.81% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

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%

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

31.81%

Max
40.16%
GOOGL
31.81%
Q3
18.72%
Median
8.63%
Q1
1.90%
Min
-22.08%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
MetricCSCOGOOGL
ROE (TTM)27.32%44.29%
ROA (TTM)7.98%12.74%
Net Margin (TTM)20.95%50.03%
Operating Margin (TTM)27.72%31.81%
Gross Margin (TTM)64.52%60.86%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 15.09% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 11.78% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for GOOGL.

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

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Alphabet (GOOGL) reports EPS growth of 34.45%, ranked against its industry; Cisco Systems (CSCO) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
MetricCSCOGOOGL
Revenue Growth (YoY)11.78%15.09%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)3.57%12.51%
EPS Growth (YoY)--34.45%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--33.34%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 2.79 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.93 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

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

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

2.79

Max
4.69
GOOGL
2.79
Q3
2.53
Median
1.52
Q1
0.95
Min
0.28
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.62 and Alphabet (GOOGL) at 0.22 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

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

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

0.22

Max
3.65
Q3
1.69
Median
0.46
GOOGL
0.22
Q1
0.17
Min
0.00
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
MetricCSCOGOOGL
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.932.79
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.620.22
Net Debt / EBITDA0.82-0.62

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 0.30% pays an industry-typical yield; Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 1.73% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

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%

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

0.30%

Max
1.33%
Q3
0.65%
GOOGL
0.30%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 4.49% keeps its payout in the industry’s typical band, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 49.85% pays out more than any of its peers — the most stretched cover in its group.

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%

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

4.49%

Max
71.43%
Q3
28.98%
GOOGL
4.49%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
MetricCSCOGOOGL
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.73%0.30%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)49.85%4.49%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 28.18 and Alphabet (GOOGL) at 14.87 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

28.18

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

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

14.87

Max
51.21
Q3
28.90
Median
17.98
GOOGL
14.87
Q1
11.53
Min
1.64
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 5.84 and Alphabet (GOOGL) at 7.43 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

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

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

7.43

GOOGL
7.43
Max
7.43
Q3
3.82
Median
1.40
Q1
0.70
Min
0.00
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 7.36 and Alphabet (GOOGL) at 5.31 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

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

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

5.31

Max
11.45
GOOGL
5.31
Q3
5.30
Median
1.84
Q1
0.77
Min
-2.61
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
MetricCSCOGOOGL
P/E Ratio (TTM)28.1814.87
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.847.43
P/B Ratio (MRQ)7.365.31
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.02%-0.03%