CSCO vs FA vs OSPN Stock Comparison

Cisco Systems, First Advantage and OneSpan Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.
$110.24 +3.3% 1M +56.1% 1Y
Market cap
$445.03B
P/E
33.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$63.33B
Div. yield
–
Networking Equipment Technology
5 wins
FA First Advantage Corp
$21.25 +8.4% 1M +47.7% 1Y
Market cap
$3.60B
P/E
143.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.66B
Div. yield
0.00%
Identity and Access Management Technology
1 win
OSPN OneSpan Inc.
$20.60 +15.7% 1M +28.8% 1Y
Market cap
$752.82M
P/E
11.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$246.38M
Div. yield
0.03%
Identity and Access Management Technology
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Cisco Systems leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Cisco Systems 5, OneSpan 5, First Advantage 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCSCOFAOSPNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $445.03B $3.60B $752.82M CSCO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 33.5x 143.0x 11.0x OSPN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 23.3x 17.3x 17.0x OSPN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.8% +32.9% +2.4% FA
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 21.0% 1.5% 27.8% OSPN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% 3.6% — CSCO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.8x 4.1x -0.7x OSPN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.03% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +56.1% +47.7% +28.8% CSCO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.4%/yr +0.4%/yr +0.5%/yr CSCO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 35.6% 60.7% 48.5% CSCO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 53/100 67/100 79/100 OSPN

Percentile Scorecard

CSCOFAOSPN

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

AxisCSCOFAOSPN
Valuation 31 #77 of 111 87 #17 of 124 93 #10 of 124
Growth 40 #65 of 108 85 #18 of 113 55 #52 of 113
Profitability 87 #14 of 104 73 #30 of 110 90 #12 of 110
Financial Health 28 #83 of 115 24 #98 of 129 70 #39 of 129
Shareholder Returns 78 #19 of 81 65 #24 of 67 88 #9 of 67
Overall 53 67 79
  • CSCO ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • FA ranked among 137 companies in Infrastructure Software
  • OSPN ranked among 137 companies in Infrastructure Software

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCSCOFAOSPNSPY
1 month +3.3%+8.4%+15.7% -0.8%
3 months -3.8%+6.2%+36.0% +3.5%
6 months +24.9%+68.9%+80.1% +7.0%
Year to date +43.1%+46.2%+60.4% +12.2%
1 year +56.1%+47.7%+28.8% +13.0%
3 years +113.8%+65.6%+167.2% +86.3%
3 years, per year +28.8%+18.3%+38.8% +23.1%
5 years +96.2%+2.1%+2.5% +68.6%
5 years, per year +14.4%+0.4%+0.5% +11.0%
10 years +260.9%—+43.6% +258.0%
10 years, per year +13.7%—+3.7% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureCSCOFAOSPNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 35.6%60.7%48.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.3%54.7%60.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.110.511.05 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.580.790.59 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.6%-61.1%-63.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -15.2%-11.9%0.0% -1.8%
52-week high $130.00$24.12$20.60 $779.14
52-week low $71.04$8.95$10.15 $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.

MultipleCSCOFAOSPN
P/E now vs peer median 32.8xmedian 32.0x 145.1xmedian 38.1x 11.2xmedian 38.1x
P/S now vs peer median 6.9xmedian 2.8x 2.2xmedian 4.3x 3.1xmedian 4.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 25.1xmedian 19.4x 12.6xmedian 35.4x 12.8xmedian 35.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 34.1xmedian 29.0x 14.6xmedian 27.1x 18.9xmedian 27.1x
P/B now vs peer median 8.7xmedian 2.9x 2.8xmedian 3.4x 2.8xmedian 3.4x
PEG now vs peer median 12.20median 1.13 -5.92median 1.27 0.19median 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 monthsCSCOFAOSPN
Revenue $63.33B $1.66B $246.38M
Gross profit $40.86B $752.05M $181.29M
Operating income $15.37B $177.66M $44.32M
Net income $13.27B $25.14M $68.40M
Free cash flow $12.77B $248.96M $40.17M
R&D $9.56B $100.89M $35.77M
EPS (diluted) $3.33 $0.15 $1.79
Cash & equivalents $7.22B $237.90M $43.34M
Total debt $29.53B $2.03B $5.00M
Shares (diluted) 3.99B 173.23M 38.14M
Enterprise value $380.96B $2.68B $503.67M

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
MetricCSCOFAOSPN
P/E 32.8x 145.1x 11.2x
P/FCF 34.1x 14.6x 18.9x
P/Operating cash flow 30.7x 14.0x 14.6x
P/S 6.9x 2.2x 3.1x
P/B 8.7x 2.8x 2.8x
P/Tangible book 10.2x 7.2x 2.9x
EV/EBITDA 25.1x 12.6x 12.8x
EV/EBIT 29.2x 30.6x 16.2x
EV/Revenue 7.1x 3.3x 2.9x
EV/FCF 35.1x 21.9x 17.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 31.6x 20.8x 13.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 12.20 -5.92 0.19

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCSCOFAOSPN
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.8% 32.9% 2.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.6% 28.7% 2.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.1% 29.3% 1.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.6% 25.2% 6.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 30.7% 777.9% -12.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 0.7% 28.7% 48.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 30.3% 116.8% 14.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 1.7% -20.0% 57.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 30.7% 116.9% 16.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 2.7% -24.5% 58.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -0.1% 1,685% -16.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -10.7% 11.6% 295.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -3.9% 1,945% -26.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -12.5% 10.1% 77.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCSCOFAOSPN
Gross margin 64.5% 45.2% 73.6%
EBITDA margin 28.3% 26.0% 22.9%
Operating margin 24.3% 10.7% 18.0%
Pretax margin 25.3% 2.2% 17.8%
Net margin 21.0% 1.5% 27.8%
FCF margin 20.2% 15.0% 16.3%
Operating cash flow margin 22.4% 15.7% 21.1%
Return on equity 26.8% 1.9% 25.1%
Return on assets 10.4% 0.7% 17.8%
Return on invested capital 15.9% 3.6% –
Return on capital employed 17.9% 5.0% 15.3%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.4x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.1x 10.4x 0.8x
Stock comp / revenue 6.0% 1.2% 4.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCSCOFAOSPN
Debt / assets 22.8% 54.3% 1.3%
Debt / equity 0.6x 1.6x 0.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.8x 4.1x -0.7x
Debt / FCF 2.3x 8.2x 0.1x
Liabilities / assets 61.2% 65.5% 29.3%
Equity / assets 38.8% 34.5% 70.7%
Interest coverage 10.5x – –
Current ratio 0.9x 2.5x 1.3x
Quick ratio 0.6x 2.4x 1.0x
Cash ratio 0.4x 1.0x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 4.16 1.52 5.90

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCSCOFAOSPN
Dividend yield 1.5% 0.0% 2.5%
Net buyback yield 1.3% 0.9% 2.8%
Shareholder yield 2.8% 0.9% 5.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 0.4% 27.9%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 0.0% 47.5%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 29.2% 107.7%
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.

ConsensusCSCOFAOSPN
Forward P/E 23.3xFY2027 17.3xFY2026 17.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.74FY2027 $1.23FY2026 $1.21FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.5%FY2027 +18.3%FY2026 -18.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +20.7% +30.9% +11.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $74.93BFY2027 $1.66BFY2026 $259.12MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +18.3%FY2027 +5.9%FY2026 +6.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.6% +2.4% +2.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCSCOFAOSPN
Held by institutions 80.1% 100.0% 95.2%
Institutions holding 4,044 178 194
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.0% +4.9% +7.3%
Institutions buying 1,846 113 112
Institutions selling 1,816 41 50
Buyers to sellers 1.02 2.76 2.24

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.

CSCOFAOSPN
CSCO 1.00 -0.12 0.13
FA -0.12 1.00 0.29
OSPN 0.13 0.29 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CSCO, FA and OSPN?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cisco Systems (CSCO) $445.03B, First Advantage (FA) $3.60B, OneSpan (OSPN) $752.82M.

Which stock is cheaper, CSCO, FA and OSPN?

OneSpan (OSPN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 33.5x, First Advantage (FA) 143.0x, OneSpan (OSPN) 11.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, OneSpan (OSPN) is cheapest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 23.3x, First Advantage (FA) 17.3x, OneSpan (OSPN) 17.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

First Advantage (FA) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Cisco Systems (CSCO) +11.8%, First Advantage (FA) +32.9%, OneSpan (OSPN) +2.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

OneSpan (OSPN) has the highest net margin (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.0%, First Advantage (FA) 1.5%, OneSpan (OSPN) 27.8%). On return on invested capital, Cisco Systems (CSCO) leads (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 15.9%, First Advantage (FA) 3.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Cisco Systems (CSCO) returned the most: Cisco Systems (CSCO) +56.1%, First Advantage (FA) +47.7%, OneSpan (OSPN) +28.8%. Over five years, Cisco Systems (CSCO) compounded fastest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) +14.4%/yr, First Advantage (FA) +0.4%/yr, OneSpan (OSPN) +0.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Cisco Systems (CSCO) 0.00%, First Advantage (FA) 0.00%, OneSpan (OSPN) 0.03%. Cisco Systems (CSCO) and First Advantage (FA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Cisco Systems (CSCO) has been the steadiest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 35.6%, First Advantage (FA) 60.7%, OneSpan (OSPN) 48.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CSCO, FA and OSPN?

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 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.