CSCO vs RBBN vs CIEN Stock Comparison

Cisco Systems, Ribbon Communications and Ciena Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.
$108.59 +1.5% 1M +52.2% 1Y
Market cap
$428.50B
P/E
32.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$63.33B
Div. yield
1.54%
Networking Equipment Technology
5 wins
CIEN Ciena Corp
$349.15 -1.6% 1M +84.5% 1Y
Market cap
$49.54B
P/E
75.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.02B
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, Ciena 5, Ribbon Communications 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCSCORBBNCIENLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $428.50B $291.65M $49.54B CSCO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 32.4x 15.7x 75.8x RBBN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.9x 32.6x 45.9x CSCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.8% -7.8% +32.6% CIEN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 21.0% 2.3% 10.9% CSCO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.9% 0.0% 12.4% CSCO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.8x 9.4x 0.7x CIEN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.54% — — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +52.2% -52.8% +84.5% CIEN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.2%/yr -21.5%/yr +45.1%/yr CIEN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 35.5% 69.3% 77.9% CSCO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 41/100 55/100 CIEN

Percentile Scorecard

CSCORBBNCIEN

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

AxisCSCORBBNCIEN
Valuation 33 #75 of 112 62 #43 of 112 21 #89 of 112
Growth 40 #65 of 108 21 #86 of 108 94 #7 of 108
Profitability 88 #13 of 104 34 #69 of 104 84 #18 of 104
Financial Health 30 #81 of 116 18 #95 of 116 41 #69 of 116
Shareholder Returns 81 #16 of 78 71 #23 of 78 36 #50 of 78
Overall 55 41 55
  • CSCO ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • RBBN ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • CIEN ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCSCORBBNCIENSPY
1 month +1.5%-8.9%-1.6% +0.7%
3 months -4.4%-23.1%-6.1% +3.7%
6 months +18.7%-38.3%-33.8% +7.1%
Year to date +41.0%-43.4%+49.3% +12.8%
1 year +52.2%-52.8%+84.5% +11.9%
3 years +110.6%-14.2%+750.3% +85.2%
3 years, per year +28.2%-5.0%+104.2% +22.8%
5 years +94.0%-70.2%+543.1% +67.6%
5 years, per year +14.2%-21.5%+45.1% +10.9%
10 years +255.0%-71.3%+1,689.6% +262.0%
10 years, per year +13.5%-11.7%+33.4% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCSCORBBNCIENSPY
Volatility, 1Y 35.5%69.3%77.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.1%79.5%82.7% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.101.332.80 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.47-0.761.08 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.6%-78.9%-49.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -16.5%-52.8%-44.3% -1.2%
52-week high $130.00$3.45$627.00 $779.14
52-week low $71.04$1.32$176.45 $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.

MultipleCSCORBBNCIEN
P/E now vs peer median 32.4xmedian 32.9x 15.7xmedian 32.9x 75.8xmedian 32.9x
P/S now vs peer median 6.8xmedian 2.9x 0.4xmedian 2.9x 8.2xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 24.7xmedian 20.0x 18.5xmedian 20.0x 55.9xmedian 20.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 33.6xmedian 30.2x -10.0xmedian 30.2x 60.8xmedian 30.2x
P/B now vs peer median 8.5xmedian 2.9x 0.8xmedian 2.9x 16.2xmedian 2.9x
PEG now vs peer median 12.01median 1.08 0.48median 1.08 1.69median 1.08

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 monthsCSCORBBNCIEN
Revenue $63.33B $800.98M $6.02B
Gross profit $40.86B $386.62M $2.65B
Operating income $15.37B -$29.02M $738.95M
Net income $13.27B $18.59M $654.41M
Free cash flow $12.77B -$29.11M $814.36M
R&D $9.56B $178.44M $924.94M
EPS (diluted) $3.33 $0.10 $4.48
Cash & equivalents $7.22B $40.38M $2.45B
Total debt $29.53B $342.88M $3.23B
Shares (diluted) 3.99B 178.86M 145.97M
Enterprise value $364.43B $43.80M $43.10B

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
MetricCSCORBBNCIEN
P/E 32.4x 15.7x 75.8x
P/FCF 33.6x -10.0x 60.8x
P/Operating cash flow 30.2x -15.6x 47.0x
P/S 6.8x 0.4x 8.2x
P/B 8.5x 0.8x 16.2x
P/Tangible book 10.0x 1.1x 17.3x
EV/EBITDA 24.7x 18.5x 55.9x
EV/EBIT 28.8x -20.5x 67.9x
EV/Revenue 7.0x 0.7x 8.3x
EV/FCF 34.6x -20.4x 61.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 31.2x -31.8x 47.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 12.01 0.48 1.69

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCSCORBBNCIEN
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.8% -7.8% 32.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.6% -1.3% 12.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.1% -12.1% 40.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.6% -1.2% 13.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 30.7% -240.9% 200.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 0.7% 9.9% 29.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 30.3% 143.2% 364.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 1.7% 33.0% 43.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 30.7% 142.6% 359.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 2.7% 32.7% 44.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -0.1% -122.3% 34.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -10.7% -50.8% 201.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -3.9% -155.4% 34.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -12.5% -90.6% 95.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCSCORBBNCIEN
Gross margin 64.5% 48.3% 44.1%
EBITDA margin 28.3% 4.0% 14.9%
Operating margin 24.3% -3.6% 12.3%
Pretax margin 25.3% -8.9% 12.1%
Net margin 21.0% 2.3% 10.9%
FCF margin 20.2% -3.6% 13.5%
Operating cash flow margin 22.4% -2.3% 17.5%
Return on equity 26.8% 4.8% 22.0%
Return on assets 10.4% 1.6% 9.3%
Return on invested capital 15.9% 0.0% 12.4%
Return on capital employed 17.9% -3.5% 13.1%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.7x 0.9x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.1x -1.0x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 6.0% 2.7% 3.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCSCORBBNCIEN
Debt / assets 22.8% 29.8% 40.4%
Debt / equity 0.6x 0.9x 1.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.8x 9.4x 0.7x
Debt / FCF 2.3x -11.8x 4.0x
Liabilities / assets 61.2% 66.2% 61.8%
Equity / assets 38.8% 33.8% 38.2%
Interest coverage 10.5x – 10.6x
Current ratio 0.9x 1.3x 3.8x
Quick ratio 0.6x 1.1x 2.8x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.1x 1.9x
Altman Z-score 4.11 -1.00 7.21

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCSCORBBNCIEN
Dividend yield 1.5% – –
Net buyback yield 1.3% 1.4% -1.0%
Shareholder yield 2.9% 1.4% -1.0%
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.

ConsensusCSCORBBNCIEN
Forward P/E 22.9xFY2027 32.6xFY2026 45.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.74FY2027 $0.05FY2026 $7.60FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.5%FY2027 -92.4%FY2026 +187.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +20.7% +200.0% +64.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $74.93BFY2027 $790.52MFY2026 $6.86BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +18.3%FY2027 -6.4%FY2026 +43.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.6% +11.9% +18.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCSCORBBNCIEN
Held by institutions 80.1% 71.8% 92.9%
Institutions holding 4,047 161 1,221
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.0% -0.7% -1.7%
Institutions buying 1,847 88 730
Institutions selling 1,818 41 379
Buyers to sellers 1.02 2.15 1.93

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.

CSCORBBNCIEN
CSCO 1.00 0.21 0.36
RBBN 0.21 1.00 0.25
CIEN 0.36 0.25 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CSCO, RBBN and CIEN?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cisco Systems (CSCO) $428.50B, Ribbon Communications (RBBN) $291.65M, Ciena (CIEN) $49.54B.

Which stock is cheaper, CSCO, RBBN and CIEN?

Ribbon Communications (RBBN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 32.4x, Ribbon Communications (RBBN) 15.7x, Ciena (CIEN) 75.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Cisco Systems (CSCO) is cheapest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 22.9x, Ribbon Communications (RBBN) 32.6x, Ciena (CIEN) 45.9x). 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%, Ribbon Communications (RBBN) -7.8%, Ciena (CIEN) +32.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has the highest net margin (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.0%, Ribbon Communications (RBBN) 2.3%, Ciena (CIEN) 10.9%). On return on invested capital, Cisco Systems (CSCO) leads (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 15.9%, Ribbon Communications (RBBN) 0.0%, Ciena (CIEN) 12.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Ciena (CIEN) returned the most: Cisco Systems (CSCO) +52.2%, Ribbon Communications (RBBN) -52.8%, Ciena (CIEN) +84.5%. Over five years, Ciena (CIEN) compounded fastest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) +14.2%/yr, Ribbon Communications (RBBN) -21.5%/yr, Ciena (CIEN) +45.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Cisco Systems (CSCO) 1.54%. Ribbon Communications (RBBN) and Ciena (CIEN) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Cisco Systems (CSCO) has been the steadiest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 35.5%, Ribbon Communications (RBBN) 69.3%, Ciena (CIEN) 77.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.