CSCO vs. META: Cisco Systems vs. Meta Platforms Stock Comparison
How do Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Meta Platforms (META) 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 Meta Platforms (META) belongs to Communication Services (Media & Entertainment) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.
| Profile Item | CSCO | META |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Cisco Systems, Inc. | Meta Platforms Inc. Class A Common Stock |
| Country/Region | United States | United States |
| GICS Sector | Information Technology | Communication Services |
| GICS Industry Group | Technology Hardware & Equipment | Media & Entertainment |
| GICS Industry | Communications Equipment | Interactive Media & Services |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Communications Equipment | Interactive Media & Services |
| Market Capitalization | 370.01 billion USD | 1,560.05 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | Nasdaq | Nasdaq |
| Listing Date | February 16, 1990 | May 18, 2012 |
| Security Type | Common Stock | Common Stock |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | CSCO | META |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | 40.88% | 3.46% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | 26.81% | 26.39% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | 14.44% | 14.05% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
| Metric | CSCO | META |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 36.83% | 41.68% |
| Beta (5Y) | 1.02 | 1.26 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -36.68% | -74.42% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 18.52M | 20.91M |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | CSCO | META |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | 0.99 | -0.02 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | 1.44 | -0.03 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.32% and Meta Platforms (META) at 32.26% 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%
META
Media & Entertainment industry group
32.26%
- Max
- 49.92%
- META
- 32.26%
- Q3
- 17.95%
- Median
- 7.20%
- Q1
- -4.53%
- Min
- -26.31%
Net Margin (TTM)
For every dollar of sales, both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 20.95% and Meta Platforms (META) at 31.15% 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%
META
Media & Entertainment industry group
31.15%
- Max
- 32.91%
- META
- 31.15%
- Q3
- 11.75%
- Median
- 5.04%
- Q1
- -4.17%
- Min
- -25.14%
Operating Margin (TTM)
Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.72% and Meta Platforms (META) at 35.41% 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%
META
Media & Entertainment industry group
35.41%
- Max
- 40.16%
- META
- 35.41%
- Q3
- 18.72%
- Median
- 8.63%
- Q1
- 1.90%
- Min
- -22.08%
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | CSCO | META |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | 27.32% | 32.26% |
| ROA (TTM) | 7.98% | 14.58% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | 20.95% | 31.15% |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | 27.72% | 35.41% |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | 64.52% | 81.03% |
Growth
Revenue Growth
Meta Platforms (META) at 22.17% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 11.78% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for META.
EPS Growth
Only one side can be read here: Meta Platforms (META) reports EPS growth of -1.55%, ranked against its industry; Cisco Systems (CSCO) has no EPS growth figure this period.
Growth Metrics
| Metric | CSCO | META |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | 11.78% | 22.17% |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | 3.57% | 19.89% |
| EPS Growth (YoY) | -- | -1.55% |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | -- | 39.84% |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
Meta Platforms (META) at 1.90 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
META
Media & Entertainment industry group
1.90
- Max
- 4.69
- Q3
- 2.53
- META
- 1.90
- Median
- 1.52
- Q1
- 0.95
- Min
- 0.28
Debt / Equity (MRQ)
Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.62 and Meta Platforms (META) 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
META
Media & Entertainment industry group
0.42
- Max
- 3.65
- Q3
- 1.69
- Median
- 0.46
- META
- 0.42
- Q1
- 0.17
- Min
- 0.00
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | CSCO | META |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | 0.93 | 1.90 |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | 0.62 | 0.42 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 0.82 | 0.28 |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
Meta Platforms (META) at 0.35% 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%
META
Media & Entertainment industry group
0.35%
- Max
- 1.33%
- Q3
- 0.65%
- META
- 0.35%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
Meta Platforms (META) at 7.16% 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%
META
Media & Entertainment industry group
7.16%
- Max
- 71.43%
- Q3
- 28.98%
- META
- 7.16%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | CSCO | META |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 1.73% | 0.35% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 49.85% | 7.16% |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 28.18 and Meta Platforms (META) at 20.82 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
META
Media & Entertainment industry group
20.82
- Max
- 51.21
- Q3
- 28.90
- META
- 20.82
- Median
- 17.98
- Q1
- 11.53
- Min
- 1.64
P/S Ratio (TTM)
Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 5.84 and Meta Platforms (META) at 6.46 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
META
Media & Entertainment industry group
6.46
- Max
- 7.43
- META
- 6.46
- Q3
- 3.82
- Median
- 1.40
- Q1
- 0.70
- Min
- 0.00
P/B Ratio (MRQ)
Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 7.36 and Meta Platforms (META) at 5.73 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
META
Media & Entertainment industry group
5.73
- Max
- 11.45
- META
- 5.73
- Q3
- 5.30
- Median
- 1.84
- Q1
- 0.77
- Min
- -2.61
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | CSCO | META |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | 28.18 | 20.82 |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 5.84 | 6.46 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | 7.36 | 5.73 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | 3.02% | 1.08% |