CSCO vs AAOI vs ERIC Stock Comparison

Cisco Systems, Applied Optoelectronics and Ericsson Lm Telephone Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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
3 wins
ERIC Ericsson Lm Telephone Co
$10.66 +9.6% 1M +12.4% 1Y
Market cap
$36.28B
P/E
17.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$24.56B
Div. yield
-0.03%
Networking Equipment Technology
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Ericsson Lm Telephone leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Ericsson Lm Telephone 5, Cisco Systems 3, Applied Optoelectronics 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCSCOAAOIERICLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $436.07B $5.87B $36.28B CSCO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 32.9x -102.9x 17.8x ERIC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.5x 95.1x 16.7x ERIC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.8% +61.8% -38.5% AAOI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 21.0% -9.6% 8.3% CSCO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% -4.2% 20.0% ERIC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.8x 13.8x -0.6x ERIC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% -0.03% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +51.6% +115.0% +12.4% AAOI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.1%/yr +55.2%/yr -1.6%/yr AAOI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 35.4% 139.0% 36.4% CSCO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 53/100 33/100 60/100 ERIC

Percentile Scorecard

CSCOAAOIERIC

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

AxisCSCOAAOIERIC
Valuation 32 #77 of 112 13 #98 of 112 88 #14 of 112
Growth 40 #66 of 109 56 #49 of 109 46 #59 of 109
Profitability 88 #14 of 105 16 #88 of 105 87 #15 of 105
Financial Health 28 #84 of 117 72 #33 of 117 41 #70 of 117
Shareholder Returns 77 #20 of 82 7 #76 of 82 37 #52 of 82
Overall 53 33 60
  • CSCO ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware
  • AAOI ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware
  • ERIC ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCSCOAAOIERICSPY
1 month +0.1%-33.2%+9.6% -1.0%
3 months -6.7%-32.6%+14.1% +2.9%
6 months +19.6%-58.4%-5.4% +6.4%
Year to date +38.3%+93.7%+10.5% +11.4%
1 year +51.6%+115.0%+12.4% +13.1%
3 years +100.9%+807.4%+140.6% +79.4%
3 years, per year +26.2%+108.7%+34.0% +21.5%
5 years +93.2%+800.1%-7.9% +67.7%
5 years, per year +14.1%+55.2%-1.6% +10.9%
10 years +253.2%+228.3%+109.0% +255.2%
10 years, per year +13.5%+12.6%+7.7% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureCSCOAAOIERICSPY
Volatility, 1Y 35.4%139.0%36.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.3%126.6%36.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.094.331.01 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.460.830.34 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.6%-82.6%-65.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -18.1%-69.7%-22.4% -2.5%
52-week high $130.00$223.10$13.74 $779.14
52-week low $70.27$19.49$9.15 $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.

MultipleCSCOAAOIERIC
P/E now vs peer median 31.7xmedian 31.3x -96.6xmedian 31.3x 17.4xmedian 31.3x
P/S now vs peer median 6.6xmedian 2.6x 9.6xmedian 2.6x 1.5xmedian 2.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 24.2xmedian 19.6x -163.7xmedian 19.6x 8.9xmedian 19.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 32.9xmedian 28.3x -9.5xmedian 28.3x 9.6xmedian 28.3x
P/B now vs peer median 8.4xmedian 2.9x 3.4xmedian 2.9x 3.2xmedian 2.9x
PEG now vs peer median 11.78median 1.15 -2.91median 1.15 0.40median 1.15

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 monthsCSCOAAOIERIC
Revenue $63.33B $595.97M $24.56B
Gross profit $40.86B $172.33M $11.51B
Operating income $15.37B -$67.41M $2.90B
Net income $13.27B -$57.02M $2.04B
Free cash flow $12.77B -$600.81M $3.76B
R&D $9.56B $107.61M $5.22B
EPS (diluted) $3.33 $-0.70 $0.61
Cash & equivalents $7.22B $499.74M $5.11B
Total debt $29.53B $160.44M $14.14B
Shares (diluted) 3.99B 81.57M 3.34B
Enterprise value $371.99B $4.59B $13.89B

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
MetricCSCOAAOIERIC
P/E 31.7x -96.6x 17.4x
P/FCF 32.9x -9.5x 9.6x
P/Operating cash flow 29.6x -43.2x 10.4x
P/S 6.6x 9.6x 1.5x
P/B 8.4x 3.4x 3.2x
P/Tangible book 9.8x 3.4x 3.2x
EV/EBITDA 24.2x -163.7x 8.9x
EV/EBIT 28.2x -78.0x 11.7x
EV/Revenue 6.9x 8.8x 1.4x
EV/FCF 34.0x -8.7x 9.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 30.6x -39.9x 9.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 11.78 -2.91 0.40

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCSCOAAOIERIC
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.8% 61.8% -38.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.6% 40.9% -2.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.1% 62.0% 3.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.6% 73.3% 4.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 30.7% -40.6% -18.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 0.7% -2.8% 55.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 30.3% 63.4% -18.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 1.7% 6.2% 43.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 30.7% 74.5% -17.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 2.7% 33.2% 43.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -0.1% 15.2% 4.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -10.7% -168.6% 44.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -3.9% -146.3% 6.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -12.5% -294.2% 34.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCSCOAAOIERIC
Gross margin 64.5% 28.9% 46.8%
EBITDA margin 28.3% -5.4% 15.4%
Operating margin 24.3% -11.3% 11.8%
Pretax margin 25.3% -10.6% 11.2%
Net margin 21.0% -9.6% 8.3%
FCF margin 20.2% -100.8% 15.3%
Operating cash flow margin 22.4% -22.1% 14.0%
Return on equity 26.8% -4.1% 18.7%
Return on assets 10.4% -2.9% 6.8%
Return on invested capital 15.9% -4.2% 20.0%
Return on capital employed 17.9% -4.5% 17.8%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.3x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.1x 2.3x 1.7x
Stock comp / revenue 6.0% 2.6% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCSCOAAOIERIC
Debt / assets 22.8% 2.5% 12.4%
Debt / equity 0.6x 0.0x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.8x 13.8x -0.6x
Debt / FCF 2.3x -0.1x 1.0x
Liabilities / assets 61.2% 27.5% 63.1%
Equity / assets 38.8% 72.5% 36.9%
Interest coverage 10.5x -19.1x –
Current ratio 0.9x 2.8x 1.2x
Quick ratio 0.6x 1.9x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.4x 1.2x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 4.05 5.64 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCSCOAAOIERIC
Dividend yield 1.6% – 2.9%
Net buyback yield 1.3% -23.7% -2.3%
Shareholder yield 2.9% -23.7% 0.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 50.9%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 27.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – -13.4%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – -7.7%

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.

ConsensusCSCOAAOIERIC
Forward P/E 22.5xFY2027 95.1xFY2026 16.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.74FY2027 $0.71FY2026 $0.64FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.5%FY2027 – -31.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +20.7% +646.5% 0.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $74.93BFY2027 $994.70MFY2026 $24.06BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +18.3%FY2027 +118.3%FY2026 -8.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.6% +185.6% +0.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCSCOAAOIERIC
Held by institutions 80.1% 60.5% 9.5%
Institutions holding 4,044 481 388
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.0% -3.5% +0.4%
Institutions buying 1,846 313 219
Institutions selling 1,816 143 110
Buyers to sellers 1.02 2.19 1.99

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.

CSCOAAOIERIC
CSCO 1.00 0.33 0.32
AAOI 0.33 1.00 0.23
ERIC 0.32 0.23 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CSCO, AAOI and ERIC?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cisco Systems (CSCO) $436.07B, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) $5.87B, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) $36.28B.

Which stock is cheaper, CSCO, AAOI and ERIC?

Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 32.9x, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -102.9x, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 17.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) is cheapest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 22.5x, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) 95.1x, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 16.7x). 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: Cisco Systems (CSCO) +11.8%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +61.8%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) -38.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has the highest net margin (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.0%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -9.6%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 8.3%). On return on invested capital, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) leads (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 15.9%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -4.2%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 20.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) returned the most: Cisco Systems (CSCO) +51.6%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +115.0%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) +12.4%. Over five years, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) compounded fastest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) +14.1%/yr, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +55.2%/yr, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) -1.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Cisco Systems (CSCO) has been the steadiest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 35.4%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) 139.0%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 36.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 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.