How Does Cisco Systems Stock Stack Up Against Its Peers?
Cisco‘s stock has shown strong performance over the past year, but how does it truly measure up against peers rapidly scaling in the booming AI and data-center market? A closer look reveals solid profitability and moderate growth, often outpaced by focused players like Arista and Vertiv, with a balanced valuation potentially limiting upside if their hyperscale momentum persists.
- CSCO’s 22.5% operating margin, lower than ANET (42.9%), reflects a broader portfolio versus ANET’s specialized high-margin data center focus.
- CSCO’s 8.9% revenue growth, moderate vs. ANET/VRT, signals less direct exposure to booming AI and data center infrastructure demand.
- CSCO stock gained 33.7% with a 29.9 PE, but VRT’s stronger returns show its greater leverage to AI-driven data center expansion.
Here’s how Cisco Systems stacks up across size, valuation, and profitability versus key peers.
| CSCO | ANET | VRT | NTAP | MSI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap ($ Bil) | 308.6 | 164.5 | 63.7 | 21.9 | 62.8 |
| Revenue ($ Bil) | 57.7 | 8.4 | 9.7 | 6.6 | 11.1 |
| PE Ratio | 29.9 | 49.0 | 61.6 | 18.6 | 29.7 |
| LTM Revenue Growth | 8.9% | 27.8% | 28.8% | 2.5% | 6.4% |
| LTM Operating Margin | 22.5% | 42.9% | 18.0% | 22.6% | 25.1% |
| LTM FCF Margin | 22.1% | 47.9% | 14.1% | 25.3% | 21.5% |
| 12M Market Return | 33.7% | 14.1% | 40.7% | -5.5% | -19.4% |
For more details on Cisco Systems, read Buy or Sell CSCO Stock. Below we compare CSCO’s growth, margin, and valuation with peers across years
Revenue Growth Comparison
| LTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSCO | 8.9% | 5.3% | -5.6% | 10.6% | |
| ANET | 27.8% | – | 19.5% | 33.8% | 48.6% |
| VRT | 28.8% | – | 16.7% | 20.6% | 13.9% |
| NTAP | 2.5% | 4.9% | -1.5% | 0.7% | |
| MSI | 6.4% | – | 8.4% | 9.5% | 11.5% |
Operating Margin Comparison
| LTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSCO | 22.5% | 22.1% | 24.1% | 27.3% | |
| ANET | 42.9% | – | 42.0% | 38.5% | 34.9% |
| VRT | 18.0% | – | 17.2% | 13.4% | 4.0% |
| NTAP | 22.6% | 21.7% | 20.2% | 18.2% | |
| MSI | 25.1% | – | 24.9% | 23.6% | 19.1% |
PE Ratio Comparison
| LTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSCO | 29.9 | 23.1 | 19.8 | 15.5 | |
| ANET | 49.0 | – | 48.7 | 34.9 | 27.5 |
| VRT | 61.6 | – | 86.3 | 39.7 | 67.2 |
| NTAP | 18.6 | 20.0 | 18.6 | 10.2 | |
| MSI | 29.7 | – | 48.9 | 30.6 | 31.7 |
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