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ERIC vs. FFIV: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson vs. F5 Stock Comparison

How do Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) and F5 (FFIV) 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

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) and F5 (FFIV) are both classified in the Communications Equipment sub-industry within the broader Communications Equipment industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

F5 (FFIV) trades as ordinary local shares, while Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) and F5 (FFIV)
Profile ItemERICFFIV
NameTelefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson Sponsored ADRF5, Inc.
Country/RegionSwedenUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyInformation Technology
GICS Industry GroupTechnology Hardware & EquipmentTechnology Hardware & Equipment
GICS IndustryCommunications EquipmentCommunications Equipment
GICS Sub-IndustryCommunications EquipmentCommunications Equipment
Market Capitalization33.25 billion USD17.66 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateAugust 24, 1981June 4, 1999
Security TypeADRCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ERIC
FFIV
GSPC
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Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) vs. F5 (FFIV), 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 Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) and F5 (FFIV). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) and F5 (FFIV). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricERICFFIV
Total Return (1Y)11.58%30.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)36.47%27.03%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)2.71%7.22%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ERIC
FFIV
GSPC
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Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) vs. F5 (FFIV), 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 Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) and F5 (FFIV). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricERICFFIV
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)36.32%40.81%
Beta (5Y)0.961.09
Max Drawdown (5Y)-62.81%-47.42%
Avg. Volume (3M)9.73M692.80K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ERIC and FFIV 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 Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricERICFFIV
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.200.63
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.290.84

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) at 18.09% and F5 (FFIV) at 19.01% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

ERIC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

18.09%

Max
42.47%
Q3
19.13%
ERIC
18.09%
Median
11.00%
Q1
1.63%
Min
-20.62%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

19.01%

Max
42.47%
Q3
19.13%
FFIV
19.01%
Median
11.00%
Q1
1.63%
Min
-20.62%
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Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their ROE against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

F5 (FFIV) at 21.14% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) at 8.36%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ERIC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

8.36%

Max
27.60%
Q3
11.66%
ERIC
8.36%
Median
4.08%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-11.02%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

21.14%

Max
27.60%
FFIV
21.14%
Q3
11.66%
Median
4.08%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-11.02%
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Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their net margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

F5 (FFIV) at 23.99% carries a top-quartile operating margin, while Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) at 0.00% operates in the bottom quartile.

ERIC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max
36.27%
Q3
18.36%
Median
8.84%
Q1
1.46%
ERIC
0.00%
Min
-21.39%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

23.99%

Max
36.27%
FFIV
23.99%
Q3
18.36%
Median
8.84%
Q1
1.46%
Min
-21.39%
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Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their operating margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricERICFFIV
ROE (TTM)18.09%19.01%
ROA (TTM)7.07%7.74%
Net Margin (TTM)8.36%21.14%
Operating Margin (TTM)0.00%23.99%
Gross Margin (TTM)48.01%81.98%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) reports revenue growth of -4.52%, ranked against its industry; F5 (FFIV) has no revenue growth figure this period.

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Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) at 85,000.00% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than F5 (FFIV) at 6.10%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricERICFFIV
Revenue Growth (YoY)-4.52%--
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-4.48%--
EPS Growth (YoY)85,000.00%6.10%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)14.83%24.10%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

F5 (FFIV) at 1.73 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) at 1.16 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for ERIC.

ERIC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.16

Max
5.34
Q3
3.02
Median
1.95
Q1
1.32
ERIC
1.16
Min
0.17

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.73

Max
5.34
Q3
3.02
Median
1.95
FFIV
1.73
Q1
1.32
Min
0.17
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Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their current ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) at 0.41 and F5 (FFIV) at 0.05 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

ERIC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.41

Max
1.76
Q3
0.78
ERIC
0.41
Median
0.24
Q1
0.04
Min
0.01

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.05

Max
1.76
Q3
0.78
Median
0.24
FFIV
0.05
Q1
0.04
Min
0.01
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Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricERICFFIV
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.161.73
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.410.05
Net Debt / EBITDA---1.49

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) nor F5 (FFIV) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

ERIC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max
0.73%
Q3
0.31%
ERIC
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max
0.73%
Q3
0.31%
FFIV
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

F5 (FFIV) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) reports a payout of 51.66%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ERIC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

51.66%

ERIC
51.66%
Max
32.27%
Q3
14.48%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max
32.27%
Q3
14.48%
FFIV
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricERICFFIV
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)51.66%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) at 16.55 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while F5 (FFIV) at 24.83 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for ERIC, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

ERIC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

16.55

Max
69.48
Q3
41.02
Median
26.39
Q1
19.36
ERIC
16.55
Min
6.07

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

24.83

Max
69.48
Q3
41.02
Median
26.39
FFIV
24.83
Q1
19.36
Min
6.07
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Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

A sales-based read is only available for F5 (FFIV), whose P/S ratio of 5.17 ranks against industry peers; Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) reports no figure this period.

ERIC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

--

Max
11.30
Q3
5.82
Median
2.56
Q1
1.05
Min
0.00
ERIC
--

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

5.17

Max
11.30
Q3
5.82
FFIV
5.17
Median
2.56
Q1
1.05
Min
0.00
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Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) vs. F5 (FFIV): ERIC does not report P/S ratio, so it has no value marker; FFIV is benchmarked against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) at 0.33 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while F5 (FFIV) at 4.41 is valued near its industry’s middle — ERIC is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

ERIC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.33

Max
10.75
Q3
5.52
Median
3.17
Q1
1.79
ERIC
0.33
Min
0.33

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

4.41

Max
10.75
Q3
5.52
FFIV
4.41
Median
3.17
Q1
1.79
Min
0.33
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Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) and F5 (FFIV)
MetricERICFFIV
P/E Ratio (TTM)16.5524.83
P/S Ratio (TTM)--5.17
P/B Ratio (MRQ)0.334.41
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)86.49%3.63%