CSCO vs. XOM: Cisco Systems vs. ExxonMobil Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Cisco Systems (CSCO) and ExxonMobil (XOM) 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 ExxonMobil (XOM) belongs to Energy (Energy) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Profile Item	CSCO	XOM
Name	Cisco Systems, Inc.	ExxonMobil Holdings Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Energy
GICS Industry Group	Technology Hardware & Equipment	Energy
GICS Industry	Communications Equipment	Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels
GICS Sub-Industry	Communications Equipment	Integrated Oil & Gas
Market Capitalization	370.01 billion USD	676.62 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

XOM

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM), 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 ExxonMobil (XOM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	CSCO	XOM
Total Return (1Y)	40.88%	44.48%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	26.81%	20.83%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.44%	24.20%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CSCO

XOM

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	CSCO	XOM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	36.83%	27.17%
Beta (5Y)	1.02	0.19
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-36.68%	-20.51%
Avg. Volume (3M)	18.52M	13.57M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CSCO and XOM 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 ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	CSCO	XOM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.99	1.48
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.44	2.17

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.32% sits in the top ROE quartile, while ExxonMobil (XOM) at 15.53% 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%

XOM

Energy industry group

15.53%

Max: 53.85%
Q3: 24.79%
XOM: 15.53%
Median: 12.85%
Q1: 2.03%
Min: -29.09%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 20.95% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of ExxonMobil (XOM) at 10.46%, 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%

XOM

Energy industry group

10.46%

Max: 56.92%
Q3: 22.92%
XOM: 10.46%
Median: 10.10%
Q1: 0.07%
Min: -27.38%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.72% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of ExxonMobil (XOM) at 16.98%, 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%

XOM

Energy industry group

16.98%

Max: 71.31%
Q3: 33.75%
Median: 18.73%
XOM: 16.98%
Q1: 6.94%
Min: -24.52%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	CSCO	XOM
ROE (TTM)	27.32%	15.53%
ROA (TTM)	7.98%	6.75%
Net Margin (TTM)	20.95%	10.46%
Operating Margin (TTM)	27.72%	16.98%
Gross Margin (TTM)	64.52%	29.81%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 11.78% and ExxonMobil (XOM) at -4.52% 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. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: ExxonMobil (XOM) reports EPS growth of -14.54%, ranked against its industry; Cisco Systems (CSCO) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	CSCO	XOM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	11.78%	-4.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.57%	-6.69%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	-14.54%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-20.35%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

ExxonMobil (XOM) at 1.19 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

XOM

Energy industry group

1.19

Max: 3.64
Q3: 2.21
Median: 1.41
XOM: 1.19
Q1: 0.88
Min: 0.24

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

ExxonMobil (XOM) at 0.13 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.62 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

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

XOM

Energy industry group

0.13

Max: 1.75
Q3: 0.93
Median: 0.54
Q1: 0.30
XOM: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	CSCO	XOM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.93	1.19
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.62	0.13
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.82	0.28

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

ExxonMobil (XOM) at 2.49% 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%

XOM

Energy industry group

2.49%

Max: 8.57%
Q3: 3.58%
XOM: 2.49%
Median: 1.71%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

ExxonMobil (XOM) at 42.39% 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%

XOM

Energy industry group

42.39%

Max: 133.24%
Q3: 53.31%
XOM: 42.39%
Median: 25.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	CSCO	XOM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.73%	2.49%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	49.85%	42.39%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 28.18 and ExxonMobil (XOM) at 17.06 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

XOM

Energy industry group

17.06

Max: 39.54
Q3: 21.72
XOM: 17.06
Median: 12.19
Q1: 7.71
Min: 2.99

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Energy industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

ExxonMobil (XOM) at 1.74 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

XOM

Energy industry group

1.74

Max: 5.40
Q3: 2.85
XOM: 1.74
Median: 1.69
Q1: 0.88
Min: 0.00

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Energy industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 7.36 and ExxonMobil (XOM) at 2.55 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

XOM

Energy industry group

2.55

Max: 4.21
XOM: 2.55
Q3: 2.38
Median: 1.51
Q1: 1.08
Min: 0.01

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Technology Hardware & Equipment and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Metric	CSCO	XOM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	28.18	17.06
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.84	1.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	7.36	2.55
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.02%	4.19%