CSCO vs. TRMB: Cisco Systems vs. Trimble Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Trimble (TRMB)
Profile Item	CSCO	TRMB
Name	Cisco Systems, Inc.	Trimble 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	12.40 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	February 16, 1990	July 20, 1990
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CSCO

TRMB

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Trimble (TRMB), 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

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Trimble (TRMB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CSCO	TRMB
Total Return (1Y)	40.88%	-30.18%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	26.81%	10.14%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.44%	-9.02%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CSCO

TRMB

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Trimble (TRMB), 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

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Trimble (TRMB). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CSCO	TRMB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	36.83%	36.40%
Beta (5Y)	1.02	1.36
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-36.68%	-54.28%
Avg. Volume (3M)	18.52M	2.82M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CSCO and TRMB 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 Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CSCO	TRMB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.99	-0.95
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.44	-1.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Trimble (TRMB) reports a negative ROE of -2.92%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Cisco Systems (CSCO) reports 27.32%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

-2.92%

Max: 42.47%
Q3: 19.13%
Median: 11.00%
Q1: 1.63%
TRMB: -2.92%
Min: -20.62%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Trimble (TRMB) reports a negative net margin of -4.08%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Cisco Systems (CSCO) reports 20.95%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

-4.08%

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

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.72% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Trimble (TRMB) at 17.46%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

17.46%

Max: 36.27%
Q3: 18.36%
TRMB: 17.46%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CSCO	TRMB
ROE (TTM)	27.32%	-2.92%
ROA (TTM)	7.98%	4.85%
Net Margin (TTM)	20.95%	-4.08%
Operating Margin (TTM)	27.72%	17.46%
Gross Margin (TTM)	64.52%	71.58%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 11.78% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Trimble (TRMB) at -2.61% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Trimble (TRMB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Trimble (TRMB) reports EPS growth of -71.10%, ranked against its industry; Cisco Systems (CSCO) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CSCO	TRMB
Revenue Growth (YoY)	11.78%	-2.61%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.57%	-0.81%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	-71.10%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-0.75%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.93 and Trimble (TRMB) at 0.93 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

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.93

Max: 5.34
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.32
TRMB: 0.93
Min: 0.17

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Trimble (TRMB): 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 Trimble (TRMB) at 0.31 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

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.31

Max: 1.76
Q3: 0.78
TRMB: 0.31
Median: 0.24
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.01

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Trimble (TRMB): 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 Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CSCO	TRMB
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.93	0.93
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.62	0.31
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.82	1.49

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Trimble (TRMB) 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%

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Trimble (TRMB) 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%

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Metrics

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

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Cisco Systems (CSCO) trades at 28.18 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Trimble (TRMB) has no P/E ratio this period.

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

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

Max: 69.48
Q3: 41.02
Median: 26.39
Q1: 19.36
Min: 6.07
TRMB: --

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Trimble (TRMB): TRMB does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; CSCO is benchmarked against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Trimble (TRMB) at 3.22 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

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

3.22

Max: 11.30
Q3: 5.82
TRMB: 3.22
Median: 2.56
Q1: 1.05
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Trimble (TRMB) at 2.50 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 7.36 carries an above-peer premium to book — CSCO is pricier on assets.

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

TRMB

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

2.50

Max: 10.75
Q3: 5.52
Median: 3.17
TRMB: 2.50
Q1: 1.79
Min: 0.33

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Trimble (TRMB)
Metric	CSCO	TRMB
P/E Ratio (TTM)	28.18	--
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.84	3.22
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	7.36	2.50
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.02%	5.70%