CSCO vs. ZBRA: Cisco Systems vs. Zebra Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Zebra (ZBRA)
Profile Item	CSCO	ZBRA
Name	Cisco Systems, Inc.	Zebra Technologies Corp. Class A Common Stock
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	15.16 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	February 16, 1990	August 15, 1991
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CSCO

ZBRA

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Zebra (ZBRA), 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 Zebra (ZBRA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	CSCO	ZBRA
Total Return (1Y)	40.88%	26.64%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	26.81%	17.52%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.44%	-11.21%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CSCO

ZBRA

GSPC

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Zebra (ZBRA), 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 Zebra (ZBRA). 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 Zebra (ZBRA) sees a more moderate 596.00K — larger orders in the latter may require more patience and tighter control over order sizing.

Risk profile metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	CSCO	ZBRA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	36.83%	47.91%
Beta (5Y)	1.02	1.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-36.68%	-67.78%
Avg. Volume (3M)	18.52M	596.00K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CSCO and ZBRA 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 Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	CSCO	ZBRA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.99	0.47
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.44	0.82

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.32% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Zebra (ZBRA) at 16.46% 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%

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

16.46%

Max: 42.47%
Q3: 19.13%
ZBRA: 16.46%
Median: 11.00%
Q1: 1.63%
Min: -20.62%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 20.95% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Zebra (ZBRA) at 9.80%, 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%

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

9.80%

Max: 27.60%
Q3: 11.66%
ZBRA: 9.80%
Median: 4.08%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -11.02%

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Zebra (ZBRA): 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 Zebra (ZBRA) at 14.75%, 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%

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

14.75%

Max: 36.27%
Q3: 18.36%
ZBRA: 14.75%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	CSCO	ZBRA
ROE (TTM)	27.32%	16.46%
ROA (TTM)	7.98%	7.51%
Net Margin (TTM)	20.95%	9.80%
Operating Margin (TTM)	27.72%	14.75%
Gross Margin (TTM)	64.52%	48.90%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 11.78% and Zebra (ZBRA) at 8.33% 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. Zebra (ZBRA): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Zebra (ZBRA) reports EPS growth of -19.65%, ranked against its industry; Cisco Systems (CSCO) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	CSCO	ZBRA
Revenue Growth (YoY)	11.78%	8.33%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.57%	-2.27%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	-19.65%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-2.41%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.93 and Zebra (ZBRA) at 0.57 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

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.57

Max: 5.34
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.32
ZBRA: 0.57
Min: 0.17

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Zebra (ZBRA): 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 Zebra (ZBRA) at 0.78 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

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.78

Max: 1.76
ZBRA: 0.78
Q3: 0.78
Median: 0.24
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.01

Cisco Systems (CSCO) vs. Zebra (ZBRA): 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 Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	CSCO	ZBRA
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.93	0.57
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.62	0.78
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.82	2.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Zebra (ZBRA) 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%

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Zebra (ZBRA) 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%

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Metrics

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

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 28.18 and Zebra (ZBRA) at 26.03 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

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

26.03

Max: 69.48
Q3: 41.02
Median: 26.39
ZBRA: 26.03
Q1: 19.36
Min: 6.07

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Zebra (ZBRA) at 2.47 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

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

2.47

Max: 11.30
Q3: 5.82
Median: 2.56
ZBRA: 2.47
Q1: 1.05
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Zebra (ZBRA) at 4.26 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

ZBRA

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

4.26

Max: 10.75
Q3: 5.52
ZBRA: 4.26
Median: 3.17
Q1: 1.79
Min: 0.33

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Zebra (ZBRA)
Metric	CSCO	ZBRA
P/E Ratio (TTM)	28.18	26.03
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.84	2.47
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	7.36	4.26
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.02%	4.61%