CSCO vs. JNJ: Cisco Systems vs. Johnson & Johnson Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 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 Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) belongs to Health Care (Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Profile Item	CSCO	JNJ
Name	Cisco Systems, Inc.	Johnson & Johnson
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Technology Hardware & Equipment	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS Industry	Communications Equipment	Pharmaceuticals
GICS Sub-Industry	Communications Equipment	Pharmaceuticals
Market Capitalization	370.01 billion USD	664.95 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	February 16, 1990	January 2, 1962
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CSCO

JNJ

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), 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 Johnson & Johnson (JNJ). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	CSCO	JNJ
Total Return (1Y)	40.88%	53.82%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	26.81%	27.51%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.44%	14.71%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CSCO

JNJ

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), 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 Johnson & Johnson (JNJ). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	CSCO	JNJ
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	36.83%	21.23%
Beta (5Y)	1.02	0.21
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-36.68%	-18.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)	18.52M	6.93M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CSCO and JNJ 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 Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	CSCO	JNJ
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.99	2.33
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.44	3.66

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.32% and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 20.02% 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%

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

20.02%

Max: 109.18%
JNJ: 20.02%
Q3: 6.23%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 20.95% and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 16.20% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

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%

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

16.20%

Max: 18.05%
JNJ: 16.20%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.72% and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 25.74% 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%

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

25.74%

Max: 83.12%
JNJ: 25.74%
Q3: 14.77%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	CSCO	JNJ
ROE (TTM)	27.32%	20.02%
ROA (TTM)	7.98%	8.46%
Net Margin (TTM)	20.95%	16.20%
Operating Margin (TTM)	27.72%	25.74%
Gross Margin (TTM)	64.52%	67.78%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 11.78% and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 6.05% 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. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) reports EPS growth of 90.50%, ranked against its industry; Cisco Systems (CSCO) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	CSCO	JNJ
Revenue Growth (YoY)	11.78%	6.05%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.57%	5.60%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	90.50%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	17.90%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.93 and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 1.02 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

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.02

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
JNJ: 1.02
Min: 0.10

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.62 and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 0.55 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

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.55

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
JNJ: 0.55
Median: 0.15
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	CSCO	JNJ
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.93	1.02
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.62	0.55
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.82	0.79

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 1.73% and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 1.94% 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%

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.94%

JNJ: 1.94%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 49.85% and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 80.12% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

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%

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

80.12%

JNJ: 80.12%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	CSCO	JNJ
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.73%	1.94%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	49.85%	80.12%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 28.18 and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 41.92 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

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

41.92

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
JNJ: 41.92
Median: 26.69
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 6.69 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

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

6.69

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
JNJ: 6.69
Q1: 3.01
Min: 0.01

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 7.36 and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 8.16 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

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

8.16

Max: 13.53
JNJ: 8.16
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	CSCO	JNJ
P/E Ratio (TTM)	28.18	41.92
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.84	6.69
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	7.36	8.16
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.02%	2.78%