CSCO vs CIEN vs ATEN Stock Comparison

Cisco Systems, Ciena and A10 Networks Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.
$106.50 +0.1% 1M +51.6% 1Y
Market cap
$435.64B
P/E
32.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$63.33B
Div. yield
–
Networking Equipment Technology
6 wins
CIEN Ciena Corp
$320.30 -10.0% 1M +85.6% 1Y
Market cap
$48.35B
P/E
73.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.02B
Div. yield
–
Networking Equipment Technology
4 wins
ATEN A10 Networks, Inc.
$25.44 -4.9% 1M +41.2% 1Y
Market cap
$1.88B
P/E
43.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$310.17M
Div. yield
–
Networking Equipment Technology
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Cisco Systems leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Cisco Systems 6, Ciena 4, A10 Networks 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCSCOCIENATENLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $435.64B $48.35B $1.88B CSCO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 32.8x 73.9x 43.8x CSCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.5x 42.1x 25.4x CSCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.8% +32.6% +12.2% CIEN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 21.0% 10.9% 13.9% CSCO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% 12.4% 8.9% CSCO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.8x 0.7x -2.1x ATEN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +51.6% +85.6% +41.2% CIEN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.1%/yr +43.5%/yr +13.4%/yr CIEN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 35.4% 77.7% 39.7% CSCO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 53/100 55/100 51/100 CIEN

Percentile Scorecard

CSCOCIENATEN

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

AxisCSCOCIENATEN
Valuation 32 #77 of 112 22 #88 of 112 45 #62 of 112
Growth 40 #66 of 109 95 #6 of 109 31 #76 of 109
Profitability 88 #14 of 105 83 #19 of 105 86 #16 of 105
Financial Health 28 #84 of 117 44 #66 of 117 32 #80 of 117
Shareholder Returns 77 #20 of 82 32 #56 of 82 63 #31 of 82
Overall 53 55 51
  • CSCO ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware
  • CIEN ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware
  • ATEN ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCSCOCIENATENSPY
1 month +0.1%-10.0%-4.9% -1.0%
3 months -6.7%-18.0%-25.7% +2.9%
6 months +19.6%-38.5%-7.7% +6.4%
Year to date +38.3%+37.0%+43.8% +11.4%
1 year +51.6%+85.6%+41.2% +13.1%
3 years +100.9%+670.7%+123.2% +79.4%
3 years, per year +26.2%+97.6%+30.7% +21.5%
5 years +93.2%+508.1%+87.7% +67.7%
5 years, per year +14.1%+43.5%+13.4% +10.9%
10 years +253.2%+1,507.1%+167.8% +255.2%
10 years, per year +13.5%+32.0%+10.4% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureCSCOCIENATENSPY
Volatility, 1Y 35.4%77.7%39.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.3%82.8%42.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.092.761.04 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.461.101.04 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.6%-49.7%-44.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -18.1%-48.9%-33.3% -2.5%
52-week high $130.00$627.00$38.14 $779.14
52-week low $70.27$172.58$16.55 $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.

MultipleCSCOCIENATEN
P/E now vs peer median 31.7xmedian 31.3x 69.5xmedian 31.3x 42.7xmedian 31.3x
P/S now vs peer median 6.6xmedian 2.6x 7.5xmedian 2.6x 5.9xmedian 2.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 24.2xmedian 19.6x 51.3xmedian 19.6x 25.7xmedian 19.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 32.9xmedian 28.3x 55.8xmedian 28.3x 30.2xmedian 28.3x
P/B now vs peer median 8.4xmedian 2.9x 14.9xmedian 2.9x 7.7xmedian 2.9x
PEG now vs peer median 11.78median 1.15 1.55median 1.15 -19.89median 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 monthsCSCOCIENATEN
Revenue $63.33B $6.02B $310.17M
Gross profit $40.86B $2.65B $246.21M
Operating income $15.37B $738.95M $50.08M
Net income $13.27B $654.41M $42.97M
Free cash flow $12.77B $814.36M $60.94M
R&D $9.56B $924.94M $77.12M
EPS (diluted) $3.33 $4.48 $0.57
Cash & equivalents $7.22B $2.45B $54.70M
Total debt $29.53B $3.23B $219.52M
Shares (diluted) 3.99B 145.97M 75.65M
Enterprise value $371.57B $41.91B $406.81M

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
MetricCSCOCIENATEN
P/E 31.7x 69.5x 42.7x
P/FCF 32.9x 55.8x 30.2x
P/Operating cash flow 29.6x 43.1x 24.0x
P/S 6.6x 7.5x 5.9x
P/B 8.4x 14.9x 7.7x
P/Tangible book 9.8x 15.8x 8.2x
EV/EBITDA 24.2x 51.3x 25.7x
EV/EBIT 28.2x 62.3x 34.1x
EV/Revenue 6.9x 7.6x 5.5x
EV/FCF 34.0x 56.5x 28.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 30.6x 43.7x 22.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 11.78 1.55 -19.89

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCSCOCIENATEN
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.8% 32.6% 12.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.6% 12.5% 4.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.1% 40.6% 11.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.6% 13.3% 4.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 30.7% 200.1% 4.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 0.7% 29.1% -0.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 30.3% 364.5% -15.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 1.7% 43.5% -2.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 30.7% 359.9% -18.6%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 2.7% 44.8% -2.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -0.1% 34.5% -9.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -10.7% 201.2% 8.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -3.9% 34.5% -13.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -12.5% 95.4% 7.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCSCOCIENATEN
Gross margin 64.5% 44.1% 79.4%
EBITDA margin 28.3% 14.9% 21.4%
Operating margin 24.3% 12.3% 16.1%
Pretax margin 25.3% 12.1% 17.5%
Net margin 21.0% 10.9% 13.9%
FCF margin 20.2% 13.5% 19.6%
Operating cash flow margin 22.4% 17.5% 24.8%
Return on equity 26.8% 22.0% 18.7%
Return on assets 10.4% 9.3% 6.5%
Return on invested capital 15.9% 12.4% 8.9%
Return on capital employed 17.9% 13.1% 17.8%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.9x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.1x 1.6x 1.8x
Stock comp / revenue 6.0% 3.5% 7.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCSCOCIENATEN
Debt / assets 22.8% 40.4% 32.4%
Debt / equity 0.6x 1.1x 0.9x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.8x 0.7x -2.1x
Debt / FCF 2.3x 4.0x 3.6x
Liabilities / assets 61.2% 61.8% 64.9%
Equity / assets 38.8% 38.2% 35.1%
Interest coverage 10.5x 10.6x –
Current ratio 0.9x 3.8x 1.3x
Quick ratio 0.6x 2.8x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.4x 1.9x 1.0x
Altman Z-score 4.05 6.72 3.46

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCSCOCIENATEN
Dividend yield 1.6% – 0.9%
Net buyback yield 1.3% -1.1% 1.1%
Shareholder yield 2.9% -1.1% 2.1%
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.

ConsensusCSCOCIENATEN
Forward P/E 22.5xFY2027 42.1xFY2026 25.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.74FY2027 $7.60FY2026 $1.00FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.5%FY2027 +187.9%FY2026 +11.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +20.7% +64.7% +13.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $74.93BFY2027 $6.86BFY2026 $342.96MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +18.3%FY2027 +43.8%FY2026 +18.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.6% +18.0% +3.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCSCOCIENATEN
Held by institutions 80.1% 92.9% 100.0%
Institutions holding 4,044 1,220 310
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.0% -1.7% +5.8%
Institutions buying 1,846 729 170
Institutions selling 1,816 379 99
Buyers to sellers 1.02 1.92 1.72

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.

CSCOCIENATEN
CSCO 1.00 0.35 0.37
CIEN 0.35 1.00 0.29
ATEN 0.37 0.29 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CSCO, CIEN and ATEN?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cisco Systems (CSCO) $435.64B, Ciena (CIEN) $48.35B, A10 Networks (ATEN) $1.88B.

Which stock is cheaper, CSCO, CIEN and ATEN?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 32.8x, Ciena (CIEN) 73.9x, A10 Networks (ATEN) 43.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Cisco Systems (CSCO) is cheapest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 22.5x, Ciena (CIEN) 42.1x, A10 Networks (ATEN) 25.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Ciena (CIEN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Cisco Systems (CSCO) +11.8%, Ciena (CIEN) +32.6%, A10 Networks (ATEN) +12.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has the highest net margin (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.0%, Ciena (CIEN) 10.9%, A10 Networks (ATEN) 13.9%). On return on invested capital, Cisco Systems (CSCO) leads (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 15.9%, Ciena (CIEN) 12.4%, A10 Networks (ATEN) 8.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Ciena (CIEN) returned the most: Cisco Systems (CSCO) +51.6%, Ciena (CIEN) +85.6%, A10 Networks (ATEN) +41.2%. Over five years, Ciena (CIEN) compounded fastest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) +14.1%/yr, Ciena (CIEN) +43.5%/yr, A10 Networks (ATEN) +13.4%/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%, Ciena (CIEN) 77.7%, A10 Networks (ATEN) 39.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CSCO, CIEN and ATEN?

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 6. 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.