CSCO vs. HPE: Cisco Systems vs. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) 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 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) both fall under the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group, but CSCO is classified in Communications Equipment while HPE is classified in Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals.

Company profile comparison for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
Profile Item	CSCO	HPE
Name	Cisco Systems, Inc.	Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company
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	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
GICS Sub-Industry	Communications Equipment	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
Market Capitalization	370.01 billion USD	59.43 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	February 16, 1990	October 19, 2015
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CSCO

HPE

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), 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 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
Metric	CSCO	HPE
Total Return (1Y)	40.88%	110.12%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	26.81%	49.38%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.44%	28.98%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CSCO

HPE

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), 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 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
Metric	CSCO	HPE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	36.83%	61.60%
Beta (5Y)	1.02	1.49
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-36.68%	-48.36%
Avg. Volume (3M)	18.52M	20.47M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CSCO and HPE 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 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
Metric	CSCO	HPE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.99	1.72
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.44	2.76

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.32% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at 10.94% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for CSCO.

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%

HPE

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

10.94%

Max: 42.47%
Q3: 19.13%
Median: 11.00%
HPE: 10.94%
Q1: 1.63%
Min: -20.62%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE): 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 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at 6.67%, which keeps about the industry-typical 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%

HPE

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

6.67%

Max: 27.60%
Q3: 11.66%
HPE: 6.67%
Median: 4.08%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -11.02%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE): A comparison of their net margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.72% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at 12.56%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

HPE

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

12.56%

Max: 36.27%
Q3: 18.36%
HPE: 12.56%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
Metric	CSCO	HPE
ROE (TTM)	27.32%	10.94%
ROA (TTM)	7.98%	2.64%
Net Margin (TTM)	20.95%	6.67%
Operating Margin (TTM)	27.72%	12.56%
Gross Margin (TTM)	64.52%	36.62%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 11.78% and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at 13.84% 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. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) reports EPS growth of -102.07%, ranked against its industry; Cisco Systems (CSCO) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
Metric	CSCO	HPE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	11.78%	13.84%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.57%	6.37%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	-102.07%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.93 and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at 1.11 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

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

HPE

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.11

Max: 5.34
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.32
HPE: 1.11
Min: 0.17

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE): A comparison of their current ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.62 and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at 0.76 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

HPE

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.76

Max: 1.76
Q3: 0.78
HPE: 0.76
Median: 0.24
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.01

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE): 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 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
Metric	CSCO	HPE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.93	1.11
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.62	0.76
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.82	2.05

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 1.73% and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at 1.26% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

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%

HPE

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.26%

HPE: 1.26%
Max: 0.73%
Q3: 0.31%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both pay out more than their industries’ typical bands, and CSCO more so: Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at 28.74% sits above the band, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 49.85% exceeds every peer 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%

HPE

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

28.74%

Max: 32.27%
HPE: 28.74%
Q3: 14.48%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
Metric	CSCO	HPE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.73%	1.26%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	49.85%	28.74%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 28.18 and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at 23.08 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

HPE

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

23.08

Max: 69.48
Q3: 41.02
Median: 26.39
HPE: 23.08
Q1: 19.36
Min: 6.07

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at 1.42 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 5.84 sits in the pricier quartile — CSCO costs more per dollar of sales.

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

HPE

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.42

Max: 11.30
Q3: 5.82
Median: 2.56
HPE: 1.42
Q1: 1.05
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at 2.24 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 7.36 carries an above-peer premium to book — CSCO is pricier on assets.

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

HPE

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

2.24

Max: 10.75
Q3: 5.52
Median: 3.17
HPE: 2.24
Q1: 1.79
Min: 0.33

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
Metric	CSCO	HPE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	28.18	23.08
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.84	1.42
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	7.36	2.24
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.02%	7.97%