CSCO vs ERIC vs FTNT Stock Comparison

Cisco Systems, Ericsson Lm Telephone and Fortinet 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
2 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
2 wins
FTNT Fortinet, Inc.
$179.99 +0.7% 1M +111.9% 1Y
Market cap
$134.37B
P/E
63.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.53B
Div. yield
–
Cybersecurity Software Technology
7 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Fortinet leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Fortinet 7, Cisco Systems 2, Ericsson Lm Telephone 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCSCOERICFTNTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $436.07B $36.28B $134.37B CSCO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 32.9x 17.8x 63.4x ERIC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.5x 16.7x 50.3x ERIC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.8% -38.5% +18.8% FTNT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 21.0% 8.3% 28.2% FTNT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% 20.0% 111.7% FTNT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.8x -0.6x -1.2x FTNT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% -0.03% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +51.6% +12.4% +111.9% FTNT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.1%/yr -1.6%/yr +21.8%/yr FTNT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 35.4% 36.4% 42.7% CSCO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 53/100 60/100 69/100 FTNT

Percentile Scorecard

CSCOERICFTNT

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

AxisCSCOERICFTNT
Valuation 32 #77 of 112 88 #14 of 112 49 #64 of 124
Growth 40 #66 of 109 46 #59 of 109 64 #41 of 113
Profitability 88 #14 of 105 87 #15 of 105 100 #1 of 110
Financial Health 28 #84 of 117 41 #70 of 117 55 #59 of 129
Shareholder Returns 77 #20 of 82 37 #52 of 82 76 #17 of 68
Overall 53 60 69
  • CSCO ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware
  • ERIC ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware
  • FTNT ranked among 137 companies in Infrastructure Software

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCSCOERICFTNTSPY
1 month +0.1%+9.6%+0.7% -1.0%
3 months -6.7%+14.1%+18.1% +2.9%
6 months +19.6%-5.4%+113.4% +6.4%
Year to date +38.3%+10.5%+126.7% +11.4%
1 year +51.6%+12.4%+111.9% +13.1%
3 years +100.9%+140.6%+212.8% +79.4%
3 years, per year +26.2%+34.0%+46.3% +21.5%
5 years +93.2%-7.9%+168.4% +67.7%
5 years, per year +14.1%-1.6%+21.8% +10.9%
10 years +253.2%+109.0%+2,730.0% +255.2%
10 years, per year +13.5%+7.7%+39.7% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureCSCOERICFTNTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 35.4%36.4%42.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.3%36.4%37.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.091.010.97 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.460.342.62 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.6%-65.8%-38.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -18.1%-22.4%-7.6% -2.5%
52-week high $130.00$13.74$194.75 $779.14
52-week low $70.27$9.15$75.23 $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.

MultipleCSCOERICFTNT
P/E now vs peer median 31.7xmedian 31.3x 17.4xmedian 31.3x 62.2xmedian 37.4x
P/S now vs peer median 6.6xmedian 2.6x 1.5xmedian 2.6x 17.5xmedian 4.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 24.2xmedian 19.6x 8.9xmedian 19.6x 43.3xmedian 35.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 32.9xmedian 28.3x 9.6xmedian 28.3x 42.4xmedian 27.2x
P/B now vs peer median 8.4xmedian 2.9x 3.2xmedian 2.9x 85.1xmedian 3.4x
PEG now vs peer median 11.78median 1.15 0.40median 1.15 2.14median 1.27

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 monthsCSCOERICFTNT
Revenue $63.33B $24.56B $7.53B
Gross profit $40.86B $11.51B $6.04B
Operating income $15.37B $2.90B $2.44B
Net income $13.27B $2.04B $2.12B
Free cash flow $12.77B $3.76B $3.12B
R&D $9.56B $5.22B $846.40M
EPS (diluted) $3.33 $0.61 $2.87
Cash & equivalents $7.22B $5.11B $2.93B
Total debt $29.53B $14.14B $2.99B
Shares (diluted) 3.99B 3.34B 739.90M
Enterprise value $371.99B $13.89B $120.30B

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
MetricCSCOERICFTNT
P/E 31.7x 17.4x 62.2x
P/FCF 32.9x 9.6x 42.4x
P/Operating cash flow 29.6x 10.4x 38.9x
P/S 6.6x 1.5x 17.5x
P/B 8.4x 3.2x 85.1x
P/Tangible book 9.8x 3.2x 89.6x
EV/EBITDA 24.2x 8.9x 43.3x
EV/EBIT 28.2x 11.7x 52.6x
EV/Revenue 6.9x 1.4x 17.1x
EV/FCF 34.0x 9.0x 41.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 30.6x 9.8x 37.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 11.78 0.40 2.14

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCSCOERICFTNT
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.8% -38.5% 18.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.6% -2.0% 14.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.1% 3.7% 17.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.6% 4.0% 16.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) 30.7% -18.4% 24.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 0.7% 55.0% 27.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 30.3% -18.7% 9.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 1.7% 43.4% 26.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 30.7% -17.7% 14.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 2.7% 43.1% 29.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -0.1% 4.3% 41.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -10.7% 44.0% 15.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -3.9% 6.1% 53.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -12.5% 34.7% 16.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCSCOERICFTNT
Gross margin 64.5% 46.8% 80.2%
EBITDA margin 28.3% 15.4% 39.4%
Operating margin 24.3% 11.8% 32.4%
Pretax margin 25.3% 11.2% 34.8%
Net margin 21.0% 8.3% 28.2%
FCF margin 20.2% 15.3% 41.4%
Operating cash flow margin 22.4% 14.0% 45.1%
Return on equity 26.8% 18.7% 166.9%
Return on assets 10.4% 6.8% 20.4%
Return on invested capital 15.9% 20.0% 111.7%
Return on capital employed 17.9% 17.8% 44.2%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.8x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.1x 1.7x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 6.0% – 3.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCSCOERICFTNT
Debt / assets 22.8% 12.4% 4.6%
Debt / equity 0.6x 0.3x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.8x -0.6x -1.2x
Debt / FCF 2.3x 1.0x 0.2x
Liabilities / assets 61.2% 63.1% 85.7%
Equity / assets 38.8% 36.9% 14.3%
Interest coverage 10.5x – 135.7x
Current ratio 0.9x 1.2x 1.3x
Quick ratio 0.6x 0.8x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.4x 0.8x
Altman Z-score 4.05 – 10.06

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCSCOERICFTNT
Dividend yield 1.6% 2.9% –
Net buyback yield 1.3% -2.3% 2.1%
Shareholder yield 2.9% 0.6% 2.1%
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.

ConsensusCSCOERICFTNT
Forward P/E 22.5xFY2027 16.7xFY2026 50.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.74FY2027 $0.64FY2026 $3.58FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.5%FY2027 -31.9%FY2026 +29.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +20.7% 0.0% +0.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $74.93BFY2027 $24.06BFY2026 $8.38BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +18.3%FY2027 -8.5%FY2026 +23.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.6% +0.7% +13.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCSCOERICFTNT
Held by institutions 80.1% 9.5% 68.6%
Institutions holding 4,044 388 1,567
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.0% +0.4% +23.7%
Institutions buying 1,846 219 854
Institutions selling 1,816 110 549
Buyers to sellers 1.02 1.99 1.56

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.

CSCOERICFTNT
CSCO 1.00 0.32 0.26
ERIC 0.32 1.00 0.16
FTNT 0.26 0.16 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CSCO, ERIC and FTNT?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cisco Systems (CSCO) $436.07B, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) $36.28B, Fortinet (FTNT) $134.37B.

Which stock is cheaper, CSCO, ERIC and FTNT?

Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 32.9x, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 17.8x, Fortinet (FTNT) 63.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) is cheapest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 22.5x, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 16.7x, Fortinet (FTNT) 50.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Fortinet (FTNT) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Cisco Systems (CSCO) +11.8%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) -38.5%, Fortinet (FTNT) +18.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Fortinet (FTNT) has the highest net margin (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.0%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 8.3%, Fortinet (FTNT) 28.2%). On return on invested capital, Fortinet (FTNT) leads (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 15.9%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 20.0%, Fortinet (FTNT) 111.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Fortinet (FTNT) returned the most: Cisco Systems (CSCO) +51.6%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) +12.4%, Fortinet (FTNT) +111.9%. Over five years, Fortinet (FTNT) compounded fastest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) +14.1%/yr, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) -1.6%/yr, Fortinet (FTNT) +21.8%/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%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 36.4%, Fortinet (FTNT) 42.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Fortinet (FTNT) leads on 7. 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.