CSCO vs. KEYS: Cisco Systems vs. Keysight Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Keysight (KEYS)
Profile Item	CSCO	KEYS
Name	Cisco Systems, Inc.	Keysight Technologies, Inc.
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 Equipment & Instruments
Market Capitalization	370.01 billion USD	46.33 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	February 16, 1990	October 20, 2014
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CSCO

KEYS

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Keysight (KEYS), 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 Keysight (KEYS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Keysight (KEYS)
Metric	CSCO	KEYS
Total Return (1Y)	40.88%	59.88%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	26.81%	33.36%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.44%	9.24%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CSCO

KEYS

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Keysight (KEYS)
Metric	CSCO	KEYS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	36.83%	47.95%
Beta (5Y)	1.02	1.22
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-36.68%	-42.62%
Avg. Volume (3M)	18.52M	1.31M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CSCO and KEYS 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 Keysight (KEYS)
Metric	CSCO	KEYS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.99	1.16
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.44	1.82

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.32% and Keysight (KEYS) at 20.90% 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%

KEYS

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

20.90%

Max: 42.47%
KEYS: 20.90%
Q3: 19.13%
Median: 11.00%
Q1: 1.63%
Min: -20.62%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 20.95% and Keysight (KEYS) at 19.14% 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%

KEYS

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

19.14%

Max: 27.60%
KEYS: 19.14%
Q3: 11.66%
Median: 4.08%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -11.02%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.72% and Keysight (KEYS) at 25.68% 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%

KEYS

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

25.68%

Max: 36.27%
KEYS: 25.68%
Q3: 18.36%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Keysight (KEYS)
Metric	CSCO	KEYS
ROE (TTM)	27.32%	20.90%
ROA (TTM)	7.98%	7.23%
Net Margin (TTM)	20.95%	19.14%
Operating Margin (TTM)	27.72%	25.68%
Gross Margin (TTM)	64.52%	63.28%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 11.78% and Keysight (KEYS) at 7.95% 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. Keysight (KEYS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Keysight (KEYS) reports EPS growth of 39.32%, ranked against its industry; Cisco Systems (CSCO) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Keysight (KEYS)
Metric	CSCO	KEYS
Revenue Growth (YoY)	11.78%	7.95%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.57%	-0.28%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	39.32%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-7.51%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Keysight (KEYS) at 2.02 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: 5.34
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.32
CSCO: 0.93
Min: 0.17

KEYS

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

2.02

Max: 5.34
Q3: 3.02
KEYS: 2.02
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.32
Min: 0.17

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Keysight (KEYS): 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 Keysight (KEYS) at 0.42 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

KEYS

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.42

Max: 1.76
Q3: 0.78
KEYS: 0.42
Median: 0.24
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.01

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Keysight (KEYS): 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 Keysight (KEYS)
Metric	CSCO	KEYS
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.93	2.02
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.62	0.42
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.82	0.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Keysight (KEYS) 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 1.73%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

KEYS

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 0.73%
Q3: 0.31%
KEYS: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Keysight (KEYS) 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: 32.27%
Q3: 14.48%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

KEYS

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 32.27%
Q3: 14.48%
KEYS: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Keysight (KEYS)
Metric	CSCO	KEYS
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.73%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	49.85%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 28.18 and Keysight (KEYS) at 36.82 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

KEYS

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

36.82

Max: 69.48
Q3: 41.02
KEYS: 36.82
Median: 26.39
Q1: 19.36
Min: 6.07

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 5.84 and Keysight (KEYS) at 7.04 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

KEYS

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

7.04

Max: 11.30
KEYS: 7.04
Q3: 5.82
Median: 2.56
Q1: 1.05
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 7.36 and Keysight (KEYS) at 7.05 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

KEYS

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

7.05

Max: 10.75
KEYS: 7.05
Q3: 5.52
Median: 3.17
Q1: 1.79
Min: 0.33

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Keysight (KEYS)
Metric	CSCO	KEYS
P/E Ratio (TTM)	28.18	36.82
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.84	7.04
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	7.36	7.05
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.02%	4.03%