CSCO vs PLTR vs AAOI Stock Comparison

Cisco Systems, Palantir Technologies and Applied Optoelectronics Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.
$110.24 +3.3% 1M +56.1% 1Y
Market cap
$440.38B
P/E
33.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$63.33B
Div. yield
–
Networking Equipment Technology
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

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

QuestionCSCOPLTRAAOILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $440.38B $477.08B $6.28B PLTR
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 33.2x 158.1x -110.0x CSCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 23.3x 119.8x 101.3x CSCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.8% +78.9% +61.8% PLTR
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 21.0% 49.0% -9.6% PLTR
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% — -4.2% CSCO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.8x — 13.8x CSCO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +56.1% +7.7% +111.5% AAOI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.4%/yr +51.4%/yr +56.4%/yr AAOI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 35.6% 59.6% 138.9% CSCO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 53/100 69/100 33/100 PLTR

Percentile Scorecard

CSCOPLTRAAOI

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

AxisCSCOPLTRAAOI
Valuation 31 #77 of 111 22 #80 of 102 12 #98 of 111
Growth 40 #65 of 108 100 #1 of 98 55 #49 of 108
Profitability 87 #14 of 104 96 #5 of 95 16 #88 of 104
Financial Health 28 #83 of 115 98 #3 of 109 72 #33 of 115
Shareholder Returns 78 #19 of 81 27 #47 of 64 9 #74 of 81
Overall 53 69 33
  • CSCO ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • PLTR ranked among 115 companies in Business Applications
  • AAOI ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCSCOPLTRAAOISPY
1 month +3.3%+4.8%-29.1% -0.8%
3 months -3.8%+51.2%-26.5% +3.5%
6 months +24.9%+39.0%-50.7% +7.0%
Year to date +43.1%+11.9%+106.4% +12.2%
1 year +56.1%+7.7%+111.5% +13.0%
3 years +113.8%+1,219.4%+921.9% +86.3%
3 years, per year +28.8%+136.4%+117.1% +23.1%
5 years +96.2%+693.5%+835.5% +68.6%
5 years, per year +14.4%+51.4%+56.4% +11.0%
10 years +260.9%—+236.3% +258.0%
10 years, per year +13.7%—+12.9% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureCSCOPLTRAAOISPY
Volatility, 1Y 35.6%59.6%138.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.3%56.1%126.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.111.974.29 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.580.130.80 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.6%-77.6%-82.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -15.2%-4.9%-67.8% -1.8%
52-week high $130.00$209.05$223.10 $779.14
52-week low $71.04$107.27$19.49 $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.

MultipleCSCOPLTRAAOI
P/E now vs peer median 32.8xmedian 32.0x 158.2xmedian 28.8x -102.9xmedian 32.0x
P/S now vs peer median 6.9xmedian 2.8x 77.6xmedian 2.8x 10.2xmedian 2.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 25.1xmedian 19.4x 175.9xmedian 17.7x -175.3xmedian 19.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 34.1xmedian 29.0x 142.3xmedian 15.8x -10.1xmedian 29.0x
P/B now vs peer median 8.7xmedian 2.9x 48.3xmedian 3.2x 3.6xmedian 2.9x
PEG now vs peer median 12.20median 1.13 0.55median 0.85 -3.10median 1.13

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 monthsCSCOPLTRAAOI
Revenue $63.33B $6.16B $595.97M
Gross profit $40.86B $5.22B $172.33M
Operating income $15.37B $2.63B -$67.41M
Net income $13.27B $3.03B -$57.02M
Free cash flow $12.77B $3.36B -$600.81M
R&D $9.56B $641.24M $107.61M
EPS (diluted) $3.33 $1.17 $-0.70
Cash & equivalents $7.22B $2.03B $499.74M
Total debt $29.53B – $57.26M
Shares (diluted) 3.99B 2.57B 81.57M
Enterprise value $376.31B $446.03B $4.99B

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
MetricCSCOPLTRAAOI
P/E 32.8x 158.2x -102.9x
P/FCF 34.1x 142.3x -10.1x
P/Operating cash flow 30.7x 140.5x -46.1x
P/S 6.9x 77.6x 10.2x
P/B 8.7x 48.3x 3.6x
P/Tangible book 10.2x 48.3x 3.6x
EV/EBITDA 25.1x 175.9x -175.3x
EV/EBIT 29.2x 177.8x -83.5x
EV/Revenue 7.1x 76.1x 9.4x
EV/FCF 35.1x 139.5x -9.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 31.6x 137.7x -42.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 12.20 0.55 -3.10

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCSCOPLTRAAOI
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.8% 78.9% 61.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.6% 44.4% 40.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.1% 89.6% 62.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.6% 47.7% 73.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 30.7% 362.6% -40.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 0.7% 247.7% -2.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 30.3% 292.3% 63.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 1.7% 308.7% 6.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 30.7% 294.3% 74.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 2.7% 286.3% 33.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -0.1% 96.6% 15.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -10.7% 103.5% -168.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -3.9% 96.5% -146.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -12.5% 107.6% -294.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCSCOPLTRAAOI
Gross margin 64.5% 84.8% 28.9%
EBITDA margin 28.3% 43.3% -5.4%
Operating margin 24.3% 42.8% -11.3%
Pretax margin 25.3% 49.9% -10.6%
Net margin 21.0% 49.0% -9.6%
FCF margin 20.2% 54.6% -100.8%
Operating cash flow margin 22.4% 55.2% -22.1%
Return on equity 26.8% 32.9% -4.1%
Return on assets 10.4% 27.7% -2.9%
Return on invested capital 15.9% – -4.2%
Return on capital employed 17.9% 28.0% -4.5%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.6x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.1x 1.1x 2.3x
Stock comp / revenue 6.0% 13.6% 2.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCSCOPLTRAAOI
Debt / assets 22.8% – 2.5%
Debt / equity 0.6x – 0.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.8x – 13.8x
Debt / FCF 2.3x – -0.1x
Liabilities / assets 61.2% 15.4% 27.5%
Equity / assets 38.8% 84.6% 72.5%
Interest coverage 10.5x – -19.1x
Current ratio 0.9x 7.2x 2.8x
Quick ratio 0.6x 7.1x 1.9x
Cash ratio 0.4x 6.1x 1.2x
Altman Z-score 4.16 161.88 5.99

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCSCOPLTRAAOI
Dividend yield 1.5% – –
Net buyback yield 1.3% 0.0% -22.3%
Shareholder yield 2.8% 0.0% -22.3%
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.

ConsensusCSCOPLTRAAOI
Forward P/E 23.3xFY2027 119.8xFY2026 101.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.74FY2027 $1.66FY2026 $0.71FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.5%FY2027 +121.3%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +20.7% +47.0% +646.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $74.93BFY2027 $8.41BFY2026 $994.70MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +18.3%FY2027 +87.8%FY2026 +118.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.6% +37.8% +185.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCSCOPLTRAAOI
Held by institutions 80.1% 60.3% 60.5%
Institutions holding 4,044 2,836 481
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.0% +10.9% -3.5%
Institutions buying 1,846 1,480 313
Institutions selling 1,816 1,093 143
Buyers to sellers 1.02 1.35 2.19

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.

CSCOPLTRAAOI
CSCO 1.00 0.18 0.34
PLTR 0.18 1.00 0.19
AAOI 0.34 0.19 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CSCO, PLTR and AAOI?

Palantir Technologies (PLTR) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cisco Systems (CSCO) $440.38B, Palantir Technologies (PLTR) $477.08B, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) $6.28B.

Which stock is cheaper, CSCO, PLTR and AAOI?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 33.2x, Palantir Technologies (PLTR) 158.1x, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -110.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Cisco Systems (CSCO) is cheapest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 23.3x, Palantir Technologies (PLTR) 119.8x, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) 101.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Palantir Technologies (PLTR) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Cisco Systems (CSCO) +11.8%, Palantir Technologies (PLTR) +78.9%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +61.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Palantir Technologies (PLTR) has the highest net margin (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.0%, Palantir Technologies (PLTR) 49.0%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -9.6%). On return on invested capital, Cisco Systems (CSCO) leads (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 15.9%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -4.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) returned the most: Cisco Systems (CSCO) +56.1%, Palantir Technologies (PLTR) +7.7%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +111.5%. Over five years, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) compounded fastest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) +14.4%/yr, Palantir Technologies (PLTR) +51.4%/yr, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +56.4%/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) 35.6%, Palantir Technologies (PLTR) 59.6%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) 138.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.