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Cisco Systems (CSCO) Competitors

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$114.17 +1.41 (+1.25%)
Closing price 07/24/2026 04:00 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$113.72 -0.45 (-0.39%)
As of 07/24/2026 07:34 PM Eastern
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CSCO vs. AVGO, GOOG, GOOGL, MSFT, and NVDA

Should you buy Cisco Systems stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares Cisco Systems with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with Cisco Systems include Broadcom (AVGO), Alphabet (GOOG), Alphabet (GOOGL), Microsoft (MSFT), and NVIDIA (NVDA). These companies are all part of the "computer and technology" sector.

How does Cisco Systems compare to Broadcom?

Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) and Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, valuation, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, profitability, institutional ownership and earnings.

Broadcom currently has a consensus target price of $493.24, indicating a potential upside of 29.15%. Cisco Systems has a consensus target price of $123.14, indicating a potential upside of 7.86%. Given Broadcom's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Broadcom is more favorable than Cisco Systems.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Broadcom
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
28 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.91
Cisco Systems
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88

Broadcom has higher revenue and earnings than Cisco Systems. Cisco Systems is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Broadcom, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Broadcom$63.89B28.44$23.13B$6.0063.65
Cisco Systems$56.65B7.94$10.18B$3.0837.07

Broadcom has a beta of 1.45, meaning that its share price is 45% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Cisco Systems has a beta of 1.02, meaning that its share price is 2% more volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, Broadcom had 75 more articles in the media than Cisco Systems. MarketBeat recorded 146 mentions for Broadcom and 71 mentions for Cisco Systems. Cisco Systems' average media sentiment score of 1.32 beat Broadcom's score of 1.29 indicating that Cisco Systems is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Broadcom
118 Very Positive mention(s)
5 Positive mention(s)
13 Neutral mention(s)
9 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Cisco Systems
52 Very Positive mention(s)
10 Positive mention(s)
7 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Broadcom pays an annual dividend of $2.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. Cisco Systems pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. Broadcom pays out 43.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Cisco Systems pays out 54.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Broadcom has increased its dividend for 15 consecutive years and Cisco Systems has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years.

76.4% of Broadcom shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 73.3% of Cisco Systems shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of Broadcom shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of Cisco Systems shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Broadcom has a net margin of 38.85% compared to Cisco Systems' net margin of 20.14%. Broadcom's return on equity of 41.61% beat Cisco Systems' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Broadcom38.85% 41.61% 19.55%
Cisco Systems 20.14%28.44%10.99%

Summary

Broadcom beats Cisco Systems on 17 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Cisco Systems compare to Alphabet?

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, media sentiment, risk, valuation and profitability.

Cisco Systems pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. Alphabet pays an annual dividend of $0.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Cisco Systems pays out 54.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Alphabet pays out 4.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Cisco Systems has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years and Alphabet has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Cisco Systems is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Cisco Systems currently has a consensus target price of $123.14, suggesting a potential upside of 7.86%. Alphabet has a consensus target price of $410.09, suggesting a potential upside of 28.52%. Given Alphabet's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Alphabet is more favorable than Cisco Systems.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Cisco Systems
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88
Alphabet
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
30 Buy rating(s)
6 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.08

In the previous week, Alphabet had 306 more articles in the media than Cisco Systems. MarketBeat recorded 377 mentions for Alphabet and 71 mentions for Cisco Systems. Cisco Systems' average media sentiment score of 1.32 beat Alphabet's score of 0.56 indicating that Cisco Systems is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Cisco Systems
52 Very Positive mention(s)
10 Positive mention(s)
7 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Alphabet
176 Very Positive mention(s)
40 Positive mention(s)
74 Neutral mention(s)
62 Negative mention(s)
9 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Alphabet has a net margin of 54.77% compared to Cisco Systems' net margin of 20.14%. Alphabet's return on equity of 51.32% beat Cisco Systems' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Cisco Systems20.14% 28.44% 10.99%
Alphabet 54.77%51.32%35.42%

Cisco Systems has a beta of 1.02, suggesting that its share price is 2% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Alphabet has a beta of 1.23, suggesting that its share price is 23% more volatile than the broader market.

Alphabet has higher revenue and earnings than Cisco Systems. Alphabet is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Cisco Systems, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Cisco Systems$56.65B7.94$10.18B$3.0837.07
Alphabet$402.84B9.60$132.17B$19.9116.03

73.3% of Cisco Systems shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 27.3% of Alphabet shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.0% of Cisco Systems shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 13.0% of Alphabet shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Alphabet beats Cisco Systems on 15 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Cisco Systems compare to Alphabet?

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, media sentiment and institutional ownership.

Alphabet currently has a consensus target price of $419.86, indicating a potential upside of 31.31%. Cisco Systems has a consensus target price of $123.14, indicating a potential upside of 7.86%. Given Alphabet's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Alphabet is more favorable than Cisco Systems.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Alphabet
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
45 Buy rating(s)
5 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.02
Cisco Systems
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88

Alphabet has higher revenue and earnings than Cisco Systems. Alphabet is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Cisco Systems, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Alphabet$402.84B9.62$132.17B$19.9116.06
Cisco Systems$56.65B7.94$10.18B$3.0837.07

In the previous week, Alphabet had 240 more articles in the media than Cisco Systems. MarketBeat recorded 311 mentions for Alphabet and 71 mentions for Cisco Systems. Cisco Systems' average media sentiment score of 1.32 beat Alphabet's score of 0.58 indicating that Cisco Systems is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Alphabet
160 Very Positive mention(s)
22 Positive mention(s)
66 Neutral mention(s)
49 Negative mention(s)
5 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Cisco Systems
52 Very Positive mention(s)
10 Positive mention(s)
7 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

40.0% of Alphabet shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 73.3% of Cisco Systems shares are owned by institutional investors. 11.6% of Alphabet shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of Cisco Systems shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Alphabet has a beta of 1.24, meaning that its share price is 24% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Cisco Systems has a beta of 1.02, meaning that its share price is 2% more volatile than the broader market.

Alphabet has a net margin of 54.77% compared to Cisco Systems' net margin of 20.14%. Alphabet's return on equity of 51.32% beat Cisco Systems' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Alphabet54.77% 51.32% 35.42%
Cisco Systems 20.14%28.44%10.99%

Alphabet pays an annual dividend of $0.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Cisco Systems pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. Alphabet pays out 4.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Cisco Systems pays out 54.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Alphabet has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years and Cisco Systems has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years. Cisco Systems is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Alphabet beats Cisco Systems on 15 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Cisco Systems compare to Microsoft?

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, media sentiment, valuation, earnings, dividends, risk, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Cisco Systems has a beta of 1.02, suggesting that its stock price is 2% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Microsoft has a beta of 1.13, suggesting that its stock price is 13% more volatile than the broader market.

Cisco Systems presently has a consensus target price of $123.14, indicating a potential upside of 7.86%. Microsoft has a consensus target price of $555.40, indicating a potential upside of 45.51%. Given Microsoft's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Microsoft is more favorable than Cisco Systems.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Cisco Systems
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88
Microsoft
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
42 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88

Microsoft has a net margin of 39.34% compared to Cisco Systems' net margin of 20.14%. Microsoft's return on equity of 31.94% beat Cisco Systems' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Cisco Systems20.14% 28.44% 10.99%
Microsoft 39.34%31.94%18.47%

Cisco Systems pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. Microsoft pays an annual dividend of $3.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Cisco Systems pays out 54.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Microsoft pays out 21.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Cisco Systems has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years and Microsoft has raised its dividend for 23 consecutive years.

73.3% of Cisco Systems shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 71.1% of Microsoft shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.0% of Cisco Systems shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of Microsoft shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Microsoft has higher revenue and earnings than Cisco Systems. Microsoft is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Cisco Systems, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Cisco Systems$56.65B7.94$10.18B$3.0837.07
Microsoft$281.72B10.06$101.83B$16.8022.72

In the previous week, Microsoft had 232 more articles in the media than Cisco Systems. MarketBeat recorded 303 mentions for Microsoft and 71 mentions for Cisco Systems. Cisco Systems' average media sentiment score of 1.32 beat Microsoft's score of 0.72 indicating that Cisco Systems is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Cisco Systems
52 Very Positive mention(s)
10 Positive mention(s)
7 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Microsoft
155 Very Positive mention(s)
39 Positive mention(s)
70 Neutral mention(s)
27 Negative mention(s)
9 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

Microsoft beats Cisco Systems on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Cisco Systems compare to NVIDIA?

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) and NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, institutional ownership, dividends, media sentiment, valuation and earnings.

In the previous week, NVIDIA had 253 more articles in the media than Cisco Systems. MarketBeat recorded 324 mentions for NVIDIA and 71 mentions for Cisco Systems. Cisco Systems' average media sentiment score of 1.32 beat NVIDIA's score of 0.82 indicating that Cisco Systems is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Cisco Systems
52 Very Positive mention(s)
10 Positive mention(s)
7 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
NVIDIA
197 Very Positive mention(s)
46 Positive mention(s)
44 Neutral mention(s)
26 Negative mention(s)
9 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

NVIDIA has higher revenue and earnings than Cisco Systems. NVIDIA is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Cisco Systems, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Cisco Systems$56.65B7.94$10.18B$3.0837.07
NVIDIA$215.94B23.18$120.07B$6.5331.68

Cisco Systems has a beta of 1.02, suggesting that its share price is 2% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, NVIDIA has a beta of 2.21, suggesting that its share price is 121% more volatile than the broader market.

Cisco Systems pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.5%. NVIDIA pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Cisco Systems pays out 54.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. NVIDIA pays out 15.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Cisco Systems has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years and NVIDIA has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Cisco Systems is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

73.3% of Cisco Systems shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 65.3% of NVIDIA shares are held by institutional investors. 0.0% of Cisco Systems shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.9% of NVIDIA shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Cisco Systems presently has a consensus target price of $123.14, suggesting a potential upside of 7.86%. NVIDIA has a consensus target price of $304.26, suggesting a potential upside of 47.10%. Given NVIDIA's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe NVIDIA is more favorable than Cisco Systems.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Cisco Systems
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88
NVIDIA
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
48 Buy rating(s)
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.02

NVIDIA has a net margin of 62.97% compared to Cisco Systems' net margin of 20.14%. NVIDIA's return on equity of 96.94% beat Cisco Systems' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Cisco Systems20.14% 28.44% 10.99%
NVIDIA 62.97%96.94%72.16%

Summary

NVIDIA beats Cisco Systems on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding CSCO and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NASDAQ and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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CSCO vs. The Competition

MetricCisco SystemsCOMP IndustryComputer SectorNASDAQ Exchange
Market Cap$449.99B$32.91B$37.15B$12.21B
Dividend Yield1.47%1.47%3.18%9.80%
P/E Ratio37.0752.31167.8923.61
Price / Sales7.942.54597.7190.24
Price / Cash29.9224.7042.4746.67
Price / Book9.638.669.096.08
Net Income$10.18B$733.86M$1.07B$331.70M
7 Day Performance1.99%-1.35%-1.81%-0.63%
1 Month Performance0.35%-2.59%-3.68%-3.04%
1 Year Performance66.21%34.38%133.84%13.30%

Cisco Systems Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
CSCO
Cisco Systems
4.6815 of 5 stars
$114.17
+1.3%
$123.14
+7.9%
+66.2%$449.99B$56.65B37.0786,200
AVGO
Broadcom
4.9993 of 5 stars
$386.79
+2.3%
$493.24
+27.5%
+31.6%$1.84T$63.89B64.5333,000
GOOG
Alphabet
4.6835 of 5 stars
$346.40
-1.4%
$383.44
+10.7%
+64.4%$4.20T$422.50B26.45190,200
GOOGL
Alphabet
4.7892 of 5 stars
$347.28
-1.3%
$414.54
+19.4%
+65.5%$4.21T$422.50B26.52190,820
MSFT
Microsoft
4.9389 of 5 stars
$397.61
-1.2%
$556.37
+39.9%
-25.7%$2.95T$281.72B23.67228,000

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This page (NASDAQ:CSCO) was last updated on 7/26/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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