ADBE vs CSCO vs MSFT Stock Comparison

Adobe, Cisco Systems and Microsoft Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ADBE Adobe Inc.
$263.82 +9.6% 1M -25.5% 1Y
Market cap
$102.20B
P/E
14.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$25.97B
Div. yield
–
Creative Software Technology
4 wins
CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.
$106.50 +0.1% 1M +51.6% 1Y
Market cap
$436.07B
P/E
32.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$63.33B
Div. yield
–
Networking Equipment Technology
2 wins
MSFT Microsoft Corp
$524.51 +4.8% 1M +0.8% 1Y
Market cap
$3.96T
P/E
29.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$331.84B
Div. yield
0.01%
Cloud Platforms Technology
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Microsoft leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Microsoft 5, Adobe 4, Cisco Systems 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionADBECSCOMSFTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $102.20B $436.07B $3.96T MSFT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 14.0x 32.9x 29.6x ADBE
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 10.5x 22.5x 25.7x ADBE
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +12.0% +11.8% +17.8% MSFT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 28.0% 21.0% 40.3% MSFT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 54.5% 15.9% 26.7% ADBE
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.4x 0.8x -0.2x ADBE
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -25.5% +51.6% +0.8% CSCO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -16.3%/yr +14.1%/yr +11.2%/yr CSCO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 42.0% 35.4% 32.7% MSFT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 65/100 53/100 79/100 MSFT

Percentile Scorecard

ADBECSCOMSFT

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

AxisADBECSCOMSFT
Valuation 59 #13 of 30 32 #77 of 112 54 #18 of 38
Growth 19 #22 of 27 40 #66 of 109 77 #9 of 36
Profitability 100 #1 of 26 88 #14 of 105 97 #2 of 34
Financial Health 61 #13 of 32 28 #84 of 117 84 #7 of 38
Shareholder Returns 88 #3 of 17 77 #20 of 82 81 #5 of 22
Overall 65 53 79
  • ADBE ranked among 33 companies in Workplace Software
  • CSCO ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware
  • MSFT ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodADBECSCOMSFTSPY
1 month +9.6%+0.1%+4.8% -1.0%
3 months +17.2%-6.7%+37.4% +2.9%
6 months +7.5%+19.6%+23.5% +6.4%
Year to date -24.6%+38.3%+8.5% +11.4%
1 year -25.5%+51.6%+0.8% +13.1%
3 years -51.1%+100.9%+58.7% +79.4%
3 years, per year -21.2%+26.2%+16.7% +21.5%
5 years -59.0%+93.2%+69.7% +67.7%
5 years, per year -16.3%+14.1%+11.2% +10.9%
10 years +142.0%+253.2%+779.2% +255.2%
10 years, per year +9.2%+13.5%+24.3% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureADBECSCOMSFTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 42.0%35.4%32.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 43.9%37.3%30.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.251.091.00 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.611.460.02 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -71.9%-38.6%-37.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -26.7%-18.1%-3.5% -2.5%
52-week high $359.91$130.00$543.45 $779.14
52-week low $193.41$70.27$352.83 $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.

MultipleADBECSCOMSFT
P/E now vs peer median 14.3xmedian 32.3x 31.7xmedian 31.3x 29.1xmedian 29.1x
P/S now vs peer median 4.0xmedian 2.4x 6.6xmedian 2.6x 11.7xmedian 4.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 9.9xmedian 11.5x 24.2xmedian 19.6x 19.4xmedian 21.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 9.7xmedian 14.2x 32.9xmedian 28.3x 58.2xmedian 17.3x
P/B now vs peer median 8.8xmedian 2.7x 8.4xmedian 2.9x 8.8xmedian 3.9x
PEG now vs peer median 0.78median 0.77 11.78median 1.15 1.28median 0.33

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 monthsADBECSCOMSFT
Revenue $25.97B $63.33B $331.84B
Gross profit $23.18B $40.86B $225.47B
Operating income $9.27B $15.37B $155.24B
Net income $7.28B $13.27B $133.75B
Free cash flow $10.59B $12.77B $66.99B
R&D $4.69B $9.56B $35.56B
EPS (diluted) $18.42 $3.33 $17.95
Cash & equivalents $4.36B $7.22B $20.94B
Total debt $1.60B $29.53B $164.03B
Shares (diluted) 395.50M 3.99B 7.45B
Enterprise value $77.45B $371.99B $3.88T

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
MetricADBECSCOMSFT
P/E 14.3x 31.7x 29.1x
P/FCF 9.7x 32.9x 58.2x
P/Operating cash flow 9.5x 29.6x 21.3x
P/S 4.0x 6.6x 11.7x
P/B 8.8x 8.4x 8.8x
P/Tangible book 9.5x 9.8x 9.2x
EV/EBITDA 9.9x 24.2x 19.4x
EV/EBIT 10.7x 28.2x 24.9x
EV/Revenue 3.8x 6.9x 11.6x
EV/FCF 9.4x 34.0x 57.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 9.2x 30.6x 21.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.78 11.78 1.28

Growth

14 metrics
MetricADBECSCOMSFT
Revenue growth (1Y) 12.0% 11.8% 17.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 11.2% 3.6% 16.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 12.2% 11.1% 16.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.8% 4.6% 15.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) 10.3% 30.7% 20.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 13.1% 0.7% 20.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 4.7% 30.3% 31.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.5% 1.7% 22.7%
EPS growth (1Y) 12.3% 30.7% 31.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 18.2% 2.7% 22.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 10.4% -0.1% 34.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 10.4% -10.7% 27.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 10.3% -3.9% -6.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.6% -12.5% 4.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricADBECSCOMSFT
Gross margin 89.3% 64.5% 67.9%
EBITDA margin 38.6% 28.3% 59.9%
Operating margin 35.7% 24.3% 46.8%
Pretax margin 35.7% 25.3% 50.0%
Net margin 28.0% 21.0% 40.3%
FCF margin 40.8% 20.2% 20.2%
Operating cash flow margin 41.6% 22.4% 55.1%
Return on equity 62.6% 26.8% 31.2%
Return on assets 24.3% 10.4% 18.4%
Return on invested capital 54.5% 15.9% 26.7%
Return on capital employed 51.3% 17.9% 27.8%
Asset turnover 0.9x 0.5x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 1.1x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 8.0% 6.0% 3.7%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricADBECSCOMSFT
Debt / assets 5.3% 22.8% 5.3%
Debt / equity 0.1x 0.6x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.4x 0.8x -0.2x
Debt / FCF 0.2x 2.3x 0.6x
Liabilities / assets 60.8% 61.2% 41.7%
Equity / assets 39.2% 38.8% 58.3%
Interest coverage 35.7x 10.5x 50.9x
Current ratio 0.8x 0.9x 1.2x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.6x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.4x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 7.54 4.05 9.18

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricADBECSCOMSFT
Dividend yield – 1.6% 0.7%
Net buyback yield 8.8% 1.3% 0.5%
Shareholder yield 8.8% 2.9% 1.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 19.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 39.5%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 9.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 10.1%

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.

ConsensusADBECSCOMSFT
Forward P/E 10.5xFY2026 22.5xFY2027 25.7xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $25.10FY2026 $4.74FY2027 $20.38FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +19.9%FY2026 +9.5%FY2027 +17.9%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +5.7% +20.7% +11.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $24.94BFY2026 $74.93BFY2027 $402.02BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +4.9%FY2026 +18.3%FY2027 +21.1%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +21.2% +0.6% +12.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersADBECSCOMSFT
Held by institutions 82.5% 80.1% 73.9%
Institutions holding 1,982 4,044 6,227
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.7% +5.0% +3.3%
Institutions buying 838 1,846 3,432
Institutions selling 928 1,816 2,425
Buyers to sellers 0.90 1.02 1.42

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.

ADBECSCOMSFT
ADBE 1.00 -0.07 0.38
CSCO -0.07 1.00 0.03
MSFT 0.38 0.03 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ADBE, CSCO and MSFT?

Microsoft (MSFT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Adobe (ADBE) $102.20B, Cisco Systems (CSCO) $436.07B, Microsoft (MSFT) $3.96T.

Which stock is cheaper, ADBE, CSCO and MSFT?

Adobe (ADBE) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Adobe (ADBE) 14.0x, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 32.9x, Microsoft (MSFT) 29.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Adobe (ADBE) is cheapest (Adobe (ADBE) 10.5x, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 22.5x, Microsoft (MSFT) 25.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Microsoft (MSFT) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Adobe (ADBE) +12.0%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +11.8%, Microsoft (MSFT) +17.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Microsoft (MSFT) has the highest net margin (Adobe (ADBE) 28.0%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.0%, Microsoft (MSFT) 40.3%). On return on invested capital, Adobe (ADBE) leads (Adobe (ADBE) 54.5%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 15.9%, Microsoft (MSFT) 26.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Cisco Systems (CSCO) returned the most: Adobe (ADBE) -25.5%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +51.6%, Microsoft (MSFT) +0.8%. Over five years, Cisco Systems (CSCO) compounded fastest (Adobe (ADBE) -16.3%/yr, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +14.1%/yr, Microsoft (MSFT) +11.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Adobe (ADBE) 0.00%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 0.00%, Microsoft (MSFT) 0.01%. Adobe (ADBE) and Cisco Systems (CSCO) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Microsoft (MSFT) has been the steadiest (Adobe (ADBE) 42.0%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 35.4%, Microsoft (MSFT) 32.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ADBE, CSCO and MSFT?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Microsoft (MSFT) leads on 5. 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.