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CSCO vs. WMT: Cisco Systems vs. Walmart Stock Comparison

How do Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Walmart (WMT) 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 Walmart (WMT) belongs to Consumer Staples (Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Walmart (WMT)
Profile ItemCSCOWMT
NameCisco Systems, Inc.Walmart Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupTechnology Hardware & EquipmentConsumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS IndustryCommunications EquipmentConsumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS Sub-IndustryCommunications EquipmentConsumer Staples Merchandise Retail
Market Capitalization370.01 billion USD998.90 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateFebruary 16, 1990August 25, 1972
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CSCO
WMT
GSPC
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Walmart (WMT), 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 Walmart (WMT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricCSCOWMT
Total Return (1Y)40.88%23.19%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)26.81%33.27%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)14.44%21.72%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricCSCOWMT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)36.83%26.96%
Beta (5Y)1.020.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)-36.68%-25.74%
Avg. Volume (3M)18.52M23.66M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CSCO and WMT 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 Walmart (WMT)
MetricCSCOWMT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.990.70
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.441.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.32% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Walmart (WMT) at 22.31% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for CSCO.

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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

22.31%

Max
33.48%
WMT
22.31%
Q3
22.31%
Median
15.57%
Q1
7.66%
Min
-2.27%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 20.95% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Walmart (WMT) at 3.00%, which keeps about the industry-typical 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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.00%

Max
5.45%
Q3
3.42%
WMT
3.00%
Median
2.44%
Q1
1.86%
Min
-0.06%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.72% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Walmart (WMT) at 3.45%, 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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.45%

Max
6.81%
Q3
5.49%
Median
3.84%
WMT
3.45%
Q1
2.00%
Min
0.97%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricCSCOWMT
ROE (TTM)27.32%22.31%
ROA (TTM)7.98%6.41%
Net Margin (TTM)20.95%3.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)27.72%3.45%
Gross Margin (TTM)64.52%24.84%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 11.78% and Walmart (WMT) at 4.73% 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. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Walmart (WMT) reports EPS growth of 13.28%, ranked against its industry; Cisco Systems (CSCO) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricCSCOWMT
Revenue Growth (YoY)11.78%4.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)3.57%5.27%
EPS Growth (YoY)--13.28%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--24.25%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.93 and Walmart (WMT) at 0.77 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

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.77

Max
2.04
Q3
1.45
Median
1.17
Q1
1.00
WMT
0.77
Min
0.69
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.62 and Walmart (WMT) at 0.72 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

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.72

Max
2.59
Q3
1.83
Median
1.24
WMT
0.72
Q1
0.63
Min
0.01
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricCSCOWMT
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.930.77
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.620.72
Net Debt / EBITDA0.821.44

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Walmart (WMT) at 0.76% 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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.76%

Max
2.90%
Q3
1.72%
WMT
0.76%
Median
0.43%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both pay out more than their industries’ typical bands, and CSCO more so: Walmart (WMT) at 34.96% sits above the band, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 49.85% exceeds every peer 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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

34.96%

Max
57.98%
WMT
34.96%
Q3
30.05%
Median
11.72%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricCSCOWMT
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.73%0.76%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)49.85%34.96%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 28.18 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Walmart (WMT) at 45.48 sits in the richer quartile — WMT 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

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

45.48

Max
50.75
WMT
45.48
Q3
33.64
Median
22.19
Q1
16.09
Min
9.28
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 5.84 and Walmart (WMT) at 1.36 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

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.36

Max
1.54
WMT
1.36
Q3
0.81
Median
0.47
Q1
0.26
Min
0.02
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 7.36 and Walmart (WMT) at 10.15 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

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

10.15

WMT
10.15
Max
10.15
Q3
6.27
Median
3.70
Q1
1.85
Min
0.93
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Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Walmart (WMT)
MetricCSCOWMT
P/E Ratio (TTM)28.1845.48
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.841.36
P/B Ratio (MRQ)7.3610.15
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.02%0.71%