AAOI vs CSCO vs GILT Stock Comparison

Applied Optoelectronics, Cisco Systems and Gilat Satellite Networks Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.
$108.59 +1.5% 1M +52.2% 1Y
Market cap
$428.50B
P/E
32.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$63.33B
Div. yield
1.54%
Networking Equipment Technology
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Cisco Systems leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (Cisco Systems 4, Gilat Satellite Networks 4, Applied Optoelectronics 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAAOICSCOGILTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $6.68B $428.50B $594.34M CSCO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -113.3x 32.4x 15.8x GILT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 111.5x 22.9x 13.0x GILT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +61.8% +11.8% +39.5% AAOI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -9.6% 21.0% 6.2% CSCO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -4.2% 15.9% — CSCO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 13.8x 0.8x -2.9x GILT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — 1.54% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +123.2% +52.2% -44.3% AAOI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +59.6%/yr +14.2%/yr -0.3%/yr AAOI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 139.0% 35.5% 69.5% CSCO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 32/100 55/100 57/100 GILT

Percentile Scorecard

AAOICSCOGILT

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAAOICSCOGILT
Valuation 12 #99 of 112 33 #75 of 112 85 #18 of 112
Growth 54 #50 of 108 40 #65 of 108 64 #40 of 108
Profitability 16 #88 of 104 88 #13 of 104 46 #57 of 104
Financial Health 71 #34 of 116 30 #81 of 116 79 #25 of 116
Shareholder Returns 9 #71 of 78 81 #16 of 78 10 #70 of 78
Overall 32 55 57
  • AAOI ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • CSCO ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • GILT ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAAOICSCOGILTSPY
1 month -21.3%+1.5%-19.0% +0.7%
3 months -12.1%-4.4%-26.8% +3.7%
6 months -51.8%+18.7%-56.4% +7.1%
Year to date +127.2%+41.0%-37.8% +12.8%
1 year +123.2%+52.2%-44.3% +11.9%
3 years +1,018.5%+110.6%+38.1% +85.2%
3 years, per year +123.8%+28.2%+11.4% +22.8%
5 years +935.2%+94.0%-1.7% +67.6%
5 years, per year +59.6%+14.2%-0.3% +10.9%
10 years +302.2%+255.0%+82.1% +262.0%
10 years, per year +14.9%+13.5%+6.2% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureAAOICSCOGILTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 139.0%35.5%69.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 127.1%37.1%74.0% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 4.321.102.29 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.891.47-0.64 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -82.6%-38.6%-64.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -64.5%-16.5%-61.4% -1.2%
52-week high $223.10$130.00$20.85 $779.14
52-week low $19.49$71.04$7.44 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAAOICSCOGILT
P/E now vs peer median -113.3xmedian 32.9x 32.4xmedian 32.9x 15.8xmedian 32.9x
P/S now vs peer median 11.2xmedian 2.9x 6.8xmedian 2.9x 1.2xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median -194.4xmedian 20.0x 24.7xmedian 20.0x 8.1xmedian 20.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median -11.1xmedian 30.2x 33.6xmedian 30.2x 30.5xmedian 30.2x
P/B now vs peer median 4.0xmedian 2.9x 8.5xmedian 2.9x 1.1xmedian 2.9x
PEG now vs peer median -3.41median 1.08 12.01median 1.08 0.23median 1.08

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAAOICSCOGILT
Revenue $595.97M $63.33B $487.79M
Gross profit $172.33M $40.86B $147.93M
Operating income -$67.41M $15.37B $29.58M
Net income -$57.02M $13.27B $30.27M
Free cash flow -$600.81M $12.77B $19.47M
R&D $107.61M $9.56B $46.44M
EPS (diluted) $-0.70 $3.33 $0.50
Cash & equivalents $499.74M $7.22B $144.81M
Total debt $57.26M $29.53B $123.15M
Shares (diluted) 81.57M 3.99B 60.40M
Enterprise value $5.40B $364.43B -$75.62M

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAAOICSCOGILT
P/E -113.3x 32.4x 15.8x
P/FCF -11.1x 33.6x 30.5x
P/Operating cash flow -50.7x 30.2x 73.7x
P/S 11.2x 6.8x 1.2x
P/B 4.0x 8.5x 1.1x
P/Tangible book 4.0x 10.0x 1.2x
EV/EBITDA -194.4x 24.7x 8.1x
EV/EBIT -92.6x 28.8x 14.8x
EV/Revenue 10.5x 7.0x 0.9x
EV/FCF -10.4x 34.6x 22.5x
EV/Operating cash flow -47.3x 31.2x 54.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -3.41 12.01 0.23

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAAOICSCOGILT
Revenue growth (1Y) 61.8% 11.8% 39.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 40.9% 3.6% 23.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 62.0% 11.1% 24.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 73.3% 4.6% 13.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) -40.6% 30.7% 31.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -2.8% 0.7% 10.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 63.4% 30.3% 35.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 6.2% 1.7% 71.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 74.5% 30.7% 27.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 33.2% 2.7% 67.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 15.2% -0.1% -72.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -168.6% -10.7% -35.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -146.3% -3.9% -48.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -294.2% -12.5% -14.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAAOICSCOGILT
Gross margin 28.9% 64.5% 30.3%
EBITDA margin -5.4% 28.3% 11.0%
Operating margin -11.3% 24.3% 6.1%
Pretax margin -10.6% 25.3% 6.3%
Net margin -9.6% 21.0% 6.2%
FCF margin -100.8% 20.2% 4.0%
Operating cash flow margin -22.1% 22.4% 1.7%
Return on equity -4.1% 26.8% 5.8%
Return on assets -2.9% 10.4% 4.1%
Return on invested capital -4.2% 15.9% –
Return on capital employed -4.5% 17.9% 5.3%
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.5x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.3x 1.1x 0.3x
Stock comp / revenue 2.6% 6.0% 3.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAAOICSCOGILT
Debt / assets 2.5% 22.8% 0.3%
Debt / equity 0.0x 0.6x 0.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 13.8x 0.8x -2.9x
Debt / FCF -0.1x 2.3x 0.1x
Liabilities / assets 27.5% 61.2% 28.5%
Equity / assets 72.5% 38.8% 71.5%
Interest coverage -19.1x 10.5x –
Current ratio 2.8x 0.9x 2.0x
Quick ratio 1.9x 0.6x 1.5x
Cash ratio 1.2x 0.4x 0.8x
Altman Z-score 6.57 4.11 1.62

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAAOICSCOGILT
Dividend yield – 1.5% –
Net buyback yield -20.2% 1.3% -16.6%
Shareholder yield -20.2% 2.9% -16.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAAOICSCOGILT
Forward P/E 111.5xFY2026 22.9xFY2027 13.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.71FY2026 $4.74FY2027 $0.62FY2026
EPS growth, next FY – +9.5%FY2027 -3.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +646.5% +20.7% +17.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $994.70MFY2026 $74.93BFY2027 $525.36MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +118.3%FY2026 +18.3%FY2027 +16.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +185.6% +0.6% +3.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAAOICSCOGILT
Held by institutions 60.5% 80.1% 48.0%
Institutions holding 481 4,047 128
Change in shares held, QoQ -3.5% +5.0% -5.5%
Institutions buying 313 1,847 65
Institutions selling 143 1,818 43
Buyers to sellers 2.19 1.02 1.51

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AAOICSCOGILT
AAOI 1.00 0.34 0.32
CSCO 0.34 1.00 0.24
GILT 0.32 0.24 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AAOI, CSCO and GILT?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) $6.68B, Cisco Systems (CSCO) $428.50B, Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT) $594.34M.

Which stock is cheaper, AAOI, CSCO and GILT?

Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -113.3x, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 32.4x, Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT) 15.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT) is cheapest (Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) 111.5x, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 22.9x, Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT) 13.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +61.8%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +11.8%, Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT) +39.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has the highest net margin (Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -9.6%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.0%, Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT) 6.2%). On return on invested capital, Cisco Systems (CSCO) leads (Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -4.2%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 15.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) returned the most: Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +123.2%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +52.2%, Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT) -44.3%. Over five years, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) compounded fastest (Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +59.6%/yr, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +14.2%/yr, Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT) -0.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Cisco Systems (CSCO) 1.54%, Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT) 0.00%. Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) and Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Cisco Systems (CSCO) has been the steadiest (Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) 139.0%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 35.5%, Gilat Satellite Networks (GILT) 69.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AAOI, CSCO and GILT?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Cisco Systems (CSCO) leads on 4. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.