CSCO vs SILC vs AAOI Stock Comparison

Cisco Systems, Silicom and Applied Optoelectronics Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.
$110.29 +3.3% 1M +51.9% 1Y
Market cap
$435.20B
P/E
32.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$63.33B
Div. yield
1.51%
Networking Equipment Technology
7 wins
SILC Silicom Ltd.
$44.16 -13.6% 1M +147.5% 1Y
Market cap
$251.98M
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$75.43M
Div. yield
–
Networking Equipment Technology
1 win

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Cisco Systems leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Cisco Systems 7, Applied Optoelectronics 2, Silicom 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCSCOSILCAAOILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $435.20B $251.98M $6.94B CSCO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 32.9x -25.7x -117.6x –
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 23.3x — 115.8x CSCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.8% +28.6% +61.8% AAOI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 21.0% -13.0% -9.6% CSCO
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 1.51% 0.00% — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +51.9% +147.5% +123.0% SILC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.5%/yr +1.0%/yr +60.8%/yr AAOI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 35.5% 90.3% 139.0% CSCO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 55/100 36/100 33/100 CSCO

Percentile Scorecard

CSCOSILCAAOI

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

AxisCSCOSILCAAOI
Valuation 33 #75 of 111 39 #68 of 111 12 #98 of 111
Growth 40 #65 of 108 20 #87 of 108 54 #50 of 108
Profitability 88 #13 of 104 18 #86 of 104 17 #87 of 104
Financial Health 31 #80 of 115 66 #40 of 115 72 #33 of 115
Shareholder Returns 82 #15 of 78 – 9 #71 of 78
Overall 55 36 33
  • CSCO ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • SILC ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • 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

PeriodCSCOSILCAAOISPY
1 month +3.3%-13.6%-15.1% +0.9%
3 months -1.9%+26.5%+7.4% +5.9%
6 months +23.1%+57.0%-46.2% +8.5%
Year to date +43.2%+200.4%+135.9% +13.3%
1 year +51.9%+147.5%+123.0% +12.4%
3 years +113.9%+194.4%+1,067.9% +88.1%
3 years, per year +28.9%+43.4%+127.0% +23.5%
5 years +97.1%+5.1%+974.8% +68.2%
5 years, per year +14.5%+1.0%+60.8% +11.0%
10 years +260.5%+23.9%+317.6% +263.4%
10 years, per year +13.7%+2.2%+15.4% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureCSCOSILCAAOISPY
Volatility, 1Y 35.5%90.3%139.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.1%79.5%127.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.103.014.32 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.461.630.89 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -38.6%-77.3%-82.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -15.2%-28.4%-63.1% -0.9%
52-week high $130.00$61.65$223.10 $779.14
52-week low $71.04$13.50$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.

MultipleCSCOSILCAAOI
P/E now vs peer median 32.9xmedian 33.5x -25.7xmedian 33.5x -117.6xmedian 33.5x
P/S now vs peer median 6.9xmedian 2.8x 3.3xmedian 2.8x 11.6xmedian 2.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 25.1xmedian 19.6x —median 19.6x -202.3xmedian 19.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 34.1xmedian 29.8x —median 29.8x -11.5xmedian 29.8x
P/B now vs peer median 8.7xmedian 2.9x 2.2xmedian 2.9x 4.2xmedian 2.9x
PEG now vs peer median 12.20median 1.10 0.68median 1.10 -3.54median 1.10

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 monthsCSCOSILCAAOI
Revenue $63.33B $75.43M $595.97M
Gross profit $40.86B $22.75M $172.33M
Operating income $15.37B -$10.69M -$67.41M
Net income $13.27B -$9.79M -$57.02M
Free cash flow $12.77B – -$600.81M
R&D $9.56B $21.03M $107.61M
EPS (diluted) $3.33 $-1.72 $-0.70
Cash & equivalents $7.22B $25.15M $499.74M
Total debt $29.53B – $57.26M
Shares (diluted) 3.99B 5.71M 81.57M
Enterprise value $371.13B $112.68M $5.66B

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
MetricCSCOSILCAAOI
P/E 32.9x -25.7x -117.6x
P/FCF 34.1x – -11.5x
P/Operating cash flow 30.7x – -52.6x
P/S 6.9x 3.3x 11.6x
P/B 8.7x 2.2x 4.2x
P/Tangible book 10.2x 2.3x 4.2x
EV/EBITDA 25.1x – -202.3x
EV/EBIT 29.2x -20.6x -96.4x
EV/Revenue 7.1x 2.9x 10.9x
EV/FCF 35.2x – -10.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 31.7x – -49.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 12.20 0.68 -3.54

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCSCOSILCAAOI
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.8% 28.6% 61.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.6% -22.1% 40.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 11.1% 31.6% 62.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.6% -24.5% 73.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 30.7% 18.2% -40.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 0.7% -35.7% -2.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 30.3% 34.3% 63.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 1.7% -36.0% 6.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 30.7% 30.7% 74.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 2.7% -37.8% 33.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -0.1% – 15.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -10.7% – -168.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -3.9% – -146.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -12.5% – -294.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCSCOSILCAAOI
Gross margin 64.5% 30.2% 28.9%
EBITDA margin 28.3% – -5.4%
Operating margin 24.3% -14.2% -11.3%
Pretax margin 25.3% -12.3% -10.6%
Net margin 21.0% -13.0% -9.6%
FCF margin 20.2% – -100.8%
Operating cash flow margin 22.4% – -22.1%
Return on equity 26.8% -8.5% -4.1%
Return on assets 10.4% -6.1% -2.9%
Return on invested capital 15.9% – -4.2%
Return on capital employed 17.9% -8.9% -4.5%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.1x – 2.3x
Stock comp / revenue 6.0% – 2.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCSCOSILCAAOI
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% 29.5% 27.5%
Equity / assets 38.8% 70.5% 72.5%
Interest coverage 10.5x – -19.1x
Current ratio 0.9x 3.1x 2.8x
Quick ratio 0.6x 1.3x 1.9x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.8x 1.2x
Altman Z-score 4.16 4.79 6.81

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCSCOSILCAAOI
Dividend yield 1.5% – –
Net buyback yield 1.3% – -19.5%
Shareholder yield 2.8% 0.0% -19.5%
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.

ConsensusCSCOSILCAAOI
Forward P/E 23.3xFY2027 – 115.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.74FY2027 $-0.43FY2026 $0.71FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.5%FY2027 – –
EPS growth, the year after +20.7% – +646.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $74.93BFY2027 $91.18MFY2026 $994.70MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +18.3%FY2027 +47.2%FY2026 +118.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.6% +29.1% +185.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCSCOSILCAAOI
Held by institutions 80.1% 43.1% 60.5%
Institutions holding 4,046 51 481
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.0% +42.4% -3.5%
Institutions buying 1,847 32 313
Institutions selling 1,817 12 143
Buyers to sellers 1.02 2.67 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.

CSCOSILCAAOI
CSCO 1.00 0.36 0.33
SILC 0.36 1.00 0.36
AAOI 0.33 0.36 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CSCO, SILC and AAOI?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cisco Systems (CSCO) $435.20B, Silicom (SILC) $251.98M, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) $6.94B.

Which company is growing faster?

Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Cisco Systems (CSCO) +11.8%, Silicom (SILC) +28.6%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +61.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has the highest net margin (Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.0%, Silicom (SILC) -13.0%, 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 Silicom (SILC) returned the most: Cisco Systems (CSCO) +51.9%, Silicom (SILC) +147.5%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +123.0%. Over five years, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) compounded fastest (Cisco Systems (CSCO) +14.5%/yr, Silicom (SILC) +1.0%/yr, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +60.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Cisco Systems (CSCO) 1.51%, Silicom (SILC) 0.00%. Silicom (SILC) and Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) 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%, Silicom (SILC) 90.3%, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) 139.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CSCO, SILC 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 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.