F5 (FFIV) Competitors

F5 (NASDAQ:FFIV) and Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, media sentiment, dividends, valuation and earnings.

Which has more volatility & risk, FFIV or CSCO?

F5 has a beta of 1.03, meaning that its share price is 3% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cisco Systems has a beta of 0.91, meaning that its share price is 9% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts prefer FFIV or CSCO?

F5 currently has a consensus target price of $309.89, suggesting a potential downside of 1.73%. Cisco Systems has a consensus target price of $74.53, suggesting a potential upside of 12.58%. Given Cisco Systems' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Cisco Systems is more favorable than F5.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
F5	1 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.18
Cisco Systems	0 Sell rating(s)	8 Hold rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.74

Does the media refer more to FFIV or CSCO?

In the previous week, Cisco Systems had 98 more articles in the media than F5. MarketBeat recorded 129 mentions for Cisco Systems and 31 mentions for F5. F5's average media sentiment score of 1.55 beat Cisco Systems' score of 1.01 indicating that F5 is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
F5	25 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Cisco Systems	71 Very Positive mention(s)	9 Positive mention(s)	33 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	2 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has better valuation and earnings, FFIV or CSCO?

Cisco Systems has higher revenue and earnings than F5. Cisco Systems is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than F5, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
F5	$2.82B	6.43	$566.78M	$11.35	27.78
Cisco Systems	$56.65B	4.63	$10.32B	$2.45	27.02

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in FFIV or CSCO?

90.7% of F5 shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 73.3% of Cisco Systems shares are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of F5 shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of Cisco Systems shares are held 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.

Is FFIV or CSCO more profitable?

F5 has a net margin of 22.06% compared to Cisco Systems' net margin of 18.45%. Cisco Systems' return on equity of 27.02% beat F5's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
F5	22.06%	21.77%	12.17%
Cisco Systems	18.45%	27.02%	10.20%

Summary

F5 beats Cisco Systems on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.