CSCO vs. KO: Cisco Systems vs. Coca-Cola Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Coca-Cola (KO) 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 Coca-Cola (KO) belongs to Consumer Staples (Food, Beverage & Tobacco) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Profile Item	CSCO	KO
Name	Cisco Systems, Inc.	The Coca-Cola Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Consumer Staples
GICS Industry Group	Technology Hardware & Equipment	Food, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS Industry	Communications Equipment	Beverages
GICS Sub-Industry	Communications Equipment	Soft Drinks & Non-alcoholic Beverages
Market Capitalization	370.01 billion USD	411.56 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

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Coca-Cola (KO), 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 Coca-Cola (KO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	CSCO	KO
Total Return (1Y)	40.88%	39.33%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	26.81%	22.59%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.44%	14.43%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CSCO

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Coca-Cola (KO), 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 Coca-Cola (KO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	CSCO	KO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	36.83%	18.90%
Beta (5Y)	1.02	0.27
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-36.68%	-17.27%
Avg. Volume (3M)	18.52M	16.05M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CSCO and KO 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 Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	CSCO	KO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.99	1.85
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.44	3.17

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Coca-Cola (KO) at 40.59% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.32% also sits in the top quartile.

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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

40.59%

KO: 40.59%
Max: 32.02%
Q3: 16.61%
Median: 10.05%
Q1: 4.10%
Min: -10.50%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 28.65% 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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

28.65%

KO: 28.65%
Max: 24.83%
Q3: 11.22%
Median: 5.94%
Q1: 2.05%
Min: -11.49%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.72% and Coca-Cola (KO) at 33.36% 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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

33.36%

Max: 34.91%
KO: 33.36%
Q3: 17.57%
Median: 11.06%
Q1: 4.15%
Min: -15.06%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	CSCO	KO
ROE (TTM)	27.32%	40.59%
ROA (TTM)	7.98%	9.59%
Net Margin (TTM)	20.95%	28.65%
Operating Margin (TTM)	27.72%	33.36%
Gross Margin (TTM)	64.52%	62.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 11.78% and Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.87% 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. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Coca-Cola (KO) reports EPS growth of 23.58%, ranked against its industry; Cisco Systems (CSCO) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	CSCO	KO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	11.78%	1.87%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.57%	3.69%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	23.58%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	11.55%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Coca-Cola (KO) 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: 5.34
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.32
CSCO: 0.93
Min: 0.17

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.38

Max: 4.01
Q3: 2.35
Median: 1.53
KO: 1.38
Q1: 1.02
Min: 0.33

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.62 and Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.07 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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.07

Max: 2.19
Q3: 1.11
KO: 1.07
Median: 0.68
Q1: 0.33
Min: 0.00

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	CSCO	KO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.93	1.38
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.62	1.07
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.82	1.48

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 2.19% 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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.19%

Max: 9.38%
Q3: 3.77%
KO: 2.19%
Median: 1.76%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 61.95% 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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

61.95%

Max: 199.19%
Q3: 81.03%
KO: 61.95%
Median: 41.52%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	CSCO	KO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.73%	2.19%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	49.85%	61.95%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 28.18 and Coca-Cola (KO) at 28.22 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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

28.22

Max: 52.52
Q3: 30.78
KO: 28.22
Median: 18.76
Q1: 12.77
Min: 4.72

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 5.84 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Coca-Cola (KO) at 8.06 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

8.06

KO: 8.06
Max: 4.64
Q3: 2.27
Median: 1.17
Q1: 0.52
Min: 0.00

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 7.36 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Coca-Cola (KO) at 11.01 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

11.01

KO: 11.01
Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.07
Median: 1.58
Q1: 0.82
Min: 0.00

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	CSCO	KO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	28.18	28.22
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.84	8.06
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	7.36	11.01
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.02%	1.06%