CSCO vs. MSI: Cisco Systems vs. Motorola Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Motorola (MSI) 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 Motorola (MSI) are both classified in the Communications Equipment sub-industry within the broader Communications Equipment industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Motorola (MSI)
Profile Item	CSCO	MSI
Name	Cisco Systems, Inc.	Motorola Solutions, 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	Communications Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Communications Equipment	Communications Equipment
Market Capitalization	370.01 billion USD	85.07 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

MSI

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Motorola (MSI), 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 Motorola (MSI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Motorola (MSI)
Metric	CSCO	MSI
Total Return (1Y)	40.88%	35.63%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	26.81%	20.55%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.44%	17.37%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CSCO

MSI

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Cisco Systems (CSCO) is heavily traded at around 18.52M shares per day, whereas Motorola (MSI) sees a more moderate 973.41K — larger orders in the latter may require more patience and tighter control over order sizing.

Risk profile metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Motorola (MSI)
Metric	CSCO	MSI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	36.83%	25.11%
Beta (5Y)	1.02	0.84
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-36.68%	-27.23%
Avg. Volume (3M)	18.52M	973.41K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CSCO and MSI 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 Motorola (MSI)
Metric	CSCO	MSI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.99	1.25
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.44	1.90

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Motorola (MSI) at 76.98% 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%

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

76.98%

MSI: 76.98%
Max: 42.47%
Q3: 19.13%
Median: 11.00%
Q1: 1.63%
Min: -20.62%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Motorola (MSI): 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 Motorola (MSI) at 16.54% 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%

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

16.54%

Max: 27.60%
MSI: 16.54%
Q3: 11.66%
Median: 4.08%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -11.02%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Motorola (MSI): 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 Motorola (MSI) at 24.62% 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%

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

24.62%

Max: 36.27%
MSI: 24.62%
Q3: 18.36%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Motorola (MSI)
Metric	CSCO	MSI
ROE (TTM)	27.32%	76.98%
ROA (TTM)	7.98%	9.64%
Net Margin (TTM)	20.95%	16.54%
Operating Margin (TTM)	27.72%	24.62%
Gross Margin (TTM)	64.52%	51.75%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 11.78% and Motorola (MSI) at 8.00% 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. Motorola (MSI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Motorola (MSI) reports EPS growth of 38.14%, ranked against its industry; Cisco Systems (CSCO) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Motorola (MSI)
Metric	CSCO	MSI
Revenue Growth (YoY)	11.78%	8.00%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.57%	8.63%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	38.14%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	17.15%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.93 and Motorola (MSI) at 1.10 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

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.10

Max: 5.34
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.32
MSI: 1.10
Min: 0.17

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Motorola (MSI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.62 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Motorola (MSI) at 3.46 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

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

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

3.46

MSI: 3.46
Max: 1.76
Q3: 0.78
Median: 0.24
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.01

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Motorola (MSI): 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 Motorola (MSI)
Metric	CSCO	MSI
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.93	1.10
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.62	3.46
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.82	2.70

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 1.73% and Motorola (MSI) at 0.94% 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%

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.94%

MSI: 0.94%
Max: 0.73%
Q3: 0.31%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 49.85% and Motorola (MSI) at 38.94% 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%

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

38.94%

MSI: 38.94%
Max: 32.27%
Q3: 14.48%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Motorola (MSI)
Metric	CSCO	MSI
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.73%	0.94%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	49.85%	38.94%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 28.18 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Motorola (MSI) at 41.39 sits in the richer quartile — MSI 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

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

41.39

Max: 69.48
MSI: 41.39
Q3: 41.02
Median: 26.39
Q1: 19.36
Min: 6.07

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Motorola (MSI): 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 Motorola (MSI) at 6.75 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

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

6.75

Max: 11.30
MSI: 6.75
Q3: 5.82
Median: 2.56
Q1: 1.05
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 7.36 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Motorola (MSI) at 27.75 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

MSI

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

27.75

MSI: 27.75
Max: 10.75
Q3: 5.52
Median: 3.17
Q1: 1.79
Min: 0.33

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Motorola (MSI)
Metric	CSCO	MSI
P/E Ratio (TTM)	28.18	41.39
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.84	6.75
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	7.36	27.75
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.02%	2.24%