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CSCO vs. LLY: Cisco Systems vs. Eli Lilly Stock Comparison

How do Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Eli Lilly (LLY) 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 Eli Lilly (LLY) 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 Eli Lilly (LLY)
Profile ItemCSCOLLY
NameCisco Systems, Inc.Eli Lilly and Company
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupTechnology Hardware & EquipmentPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS IndustryCommunications EquipmentPharmaceuticals
GICS Sub-IndustryCommunications EquipmentPharmaceuticals
Market Capitalization370.01 billion USD1,206.07 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateFebruary 16, 1990June 1, 1972
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CSCO
LLY
GSPC
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY), 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 Eli Lilly (LLY). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCSCOLLY
Total Return (1Y)40.88%52.36%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)26.81%34.18%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)14.44%41.08%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCSCOLLY
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)36.83%35.34%
Beta (5Y)1.020.40
Max Drawdown (5Y)-36.68%-34.48%
Avg. Volume (3M)18.52M2.52M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CSCO and LLY 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 Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCSCOLLY
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.991.36
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.442.29

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.32% and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 86.02% 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%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

86.02%

Max
109.18%
LLY
86.02%
Q3
6.23%
Median
-26.66%
Q1
-64.05%
Min
-167.77%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Eli Lilly (LLY) at 31.90% 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%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

31.90%

LLY
31.90%
Max
18.05%
Q3
4.78%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-4.14%
Min
-17.05%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): 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 Eli Lilly (LLY) at 53.66% 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%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

53.66%

Max
83.12%
LLY
53.66%
Q3
14.77%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-78.82%
Min
-207.40%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): 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 Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCSCOLLY
ROE (TTM)27.32%86.02%
ROA (TTM)7.98%21.06%
Net Margin (TTM)20.95%31.90%
Operating Margin (TTM)27.72%53.66%
Gross Margin (TTM)64.52%83.63%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 11.78% and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 44.70% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Eli Lilly (LLY) reports EPS growth of 95.99%, ranked against its industry; Cisco Systems (CSCO) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCSCOLLY
Revenue Growth (YoY)11.78%44.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)3.57%31.69%
EPS Growth (YoY)--95.99%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--51.71%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.93 and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 1.39 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

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.39

Max
25.13
Q3
12.13
Median
5.52
Q1
2.47
LLY
1.39
Min
0.10
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.62 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Eli Lilly (LLY) at 1.23 uses more debt funding than most peers.

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

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.23

Max
1.42
LLY
1.23
Q3
0.65
Median
0.15
Q1
0.02
Min
0.00
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): 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 Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCSCOLLY
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.931.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.621.23
Net Debt / EBITDA0.820.96

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 1.73% and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 0.49% 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%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.49%

LLY
0.49%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): 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 Eli Lilly (LLY) at 21.71% 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%

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

21.71%

LLY
21.71%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): 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 Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCSCOLLY
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.73%0.49%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)49.85%21.71%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 28.18 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Eli Lilly (LLY) at 43.95 sits in the richer quartile — LLY needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

43.95

Max
85.34
LLY
43.95
Q3
43.46
Median
26.69
Q1
13.30
Min
0.07
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): 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)

Eli Lilly (LLY) at 13.95 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

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

13.95

Max
58.18
Q3
25.77
LLY
13.95
Median
7.30
Q1
3.01
Min
0.01
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): 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 look rich against book: Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 7.36 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Eli Lilly (LLY) at 29.96 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

LLY

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

29.96

LLY
29.96
Max
13.53
Q3
6.54
Median
3.25
Q1
1.69
Min
-5.59
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Eli Lilly (LLY): 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 Eli Lilly (LLY)
MetricCSCOLLY
P/E Ratio (TTM)28.1843.95
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.8413.95
P/B Ratio (MRQ)7.3629.96
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.02%0.77%