MSFT vs CSCO vs DOCN Stock Comparison

Microsoft, Cisco Systems and DigitalOcean Holdings Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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MSFT Microsoft Corp
$531.01 +4.3% 1M -2.0% 1Y
Market cap
$3.94T
P/E
27.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$346.45B
Div. yield
0.69%
Cloud Platforms Technology
7 wins
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
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Microsoft leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Microsoft 7, Cisco Systems 3, DigitalOcean Holdings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMSFTCSCODOCNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.94T $435.20B $11.04B MSFT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 27.6x 32.9x 46.7x MSFT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 26.0x 23.3x 77.3x CSCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.9% +11.8% +21.4% DOCN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 41.2% 21.0% 23.3% MSFT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 26.5% 15.9% 8.2% MSFT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.1x 0.8x 0.5x MSFT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.69% 1.51% — CSCO
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -2.0% +51.9% +164.5% DOCN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +9.9%/yr +14.5%/yr +1.5%/yr CSCO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.6% 35.5% 85.7% MSFT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 79/100 55/100 59/100 MSFT

Percentile Scorecard

MSFTCSCODOCN

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

AxisMSFTCSCODOCN
Valuation 60 #16 of 38 33 #75 of 111 41 #23 of 38
Growth 77 #9 of 36 40 #65 of 108 83 #7 of 36
Profitability 97 #2 of 34 88 #13 of 104 85 #6 of 34
Financial Health 84 #7 of 38 31 #80 of 115 54 #18 of 38
Shareholder Returns 80 #5 of 21 82 #15 of 78 35 #14 of 21
Overall 79 55 59
  • MSFT ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing
  • CSCO ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • DOCN ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMSFTCSCODOCNSPY
1 month +4.3%+3.3%-22.9% +0.9%
3 months +36.0%-1.9%-1.4% +5.9%
6 months +25.1%+23.1%+8.5% +8.5%
Year to date +9.8%+43.2%+118.4% +13.3%
1 year -2.0%+51.9%+164.5% +12.4%
3 years +61.0%+113.9%+411.7% +88.1%
3 years, per year +17.2%+28.9%+72.4% +23.5%
5 years +60.1%+97.1%+7.7% +68.2%
5 years, per year +9.9%+14.5%+1.5% +11.0%
10 years +786.9%+260.5%— +263.4%
10 years, per year +24.4%+13.7%— +13.8%

Risk

MeasureMSFTCSCODOCNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.6%35.5%85.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.7%37.1%73.7% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.991.102.74 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.061.461.92 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -37.6%-38.6%-84.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -2.3%-15.2%-42.0% -0.9%
52-week high $543.45$130.00$181.29 $779.14
52-week low $352.83$71.04$37.94 $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.

MultipleMSFTCSCODOCN
P/E now vs peer median 27.6xmedian 27.6x 32.9xmedian 33.5x 46.7xmedian 27.6x
P/S now vs peer median 11.4xmedian 4.8x 6.9xmedian 2.8x 10.9xmedian 4.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 19.1xmedian 24.1x 25.1xmedian 19.6x 34.8xmedian 24.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median 65.8xmedian 15.0x 34.1xmedian 29.8x 686.3xmedian 15.0x
P/B now vs peer median 8.4xmedian 4.4x 8.7xmedian 2.9x 11.9xmedian 4.4x
PEG now vs peer median 1.21median 0.38 12.20median 1.10 0.36median 0.38

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 monthsMSFTCSCODOCN
Revenue $346.45B $63.33B $1.01B
Gross profit $234.39B $40.86B $578.58M
Operating income $163.19B $15.37B $149.67M
Net income $142.63B $13.27B $235.24M
Free cash flow $59.96B $12.77B $16.08M
R&D $36.46B $9.56B $188.73M
EPS (diluted) $19.16 $3.33 $1.86
Cash & equivalents $20.28B $7.22B $767.03M
Total debt $35.48B $29.53B $921.05M
Shares (diluted) 7.45B 3.99B 126.55M
Enterprise value $3.88T $371.13B $9.04B

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
MetricMSFTCSCODOCN
P/E 27.6x 32.9x 46.7x
P/FCF 65.8x 34.1x 686.3x
P/Operating cash flow 20.1x 30.7x 35.6x
P/S 11.4x 6.9x 10.9x
P/B 8.4x 8.7x 11.9x
P/Tangible book 8.7x 10.2x 13.2x
EV/EBITDA 19.1x 25.1x 34.8x
EV/EBIT 24.0x 29.2x 74.8x
EV/Revenue 11.3x 7.1x 11.1x
EV/FCF 65.3x 35.2x 695.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.0x 31.7x 36.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.21 12.20 0.36

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMSFTCSCODOCN
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.9% 11.8% 21.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 16.6% 3.6% 15.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 16.0% 11.1% 15.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 15.6% 4.6% 14.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 20.0% 30.7% 14.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 20.2% 0.7% 80.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 36.0% 30.3% 86.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 22.8% 1.7% 147.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 36.3% 30.7% 47.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 22.8% 2.7% 129.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 33.2% -0.1% 2.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 27.3% -10.7% 12.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -23.1% -3.9% -84.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -1.8% -12.5% -48.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMSFTCSCODOCN
Gross margin 67.7% 64.5% 57.2%
EBITDA margin 59.3% 28.3% 31.8%
Operating margin 47.1% 24.3% 14.8%
Pretax margin 51.3% 25.3% 17.3%
Net margin 41.2% 21.0% 23.3%
FCF margin 17.3% 20.2% 1.6%
Operating cash flow margin 56.5% 22.4% 30.7%
Return on equity 31.2% 26.8% 25.9%
Return on assets 18.6% 10.4% 8.3%
Return on invested capital 26.5% 15.9% 8.2%
Return on capital employed 26.5% 17.9% 7.2%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.1x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 3.6% 6.0% 9.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMSFTCSCODOCN
Debt / assets 4.6% 22.8% 29.5%
Debt / equity 0.1x 0.6x 1.0x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.1x 0.8x 0.5x
Debt / FCF 0.6x 2.3x 57.3x
Liabilities / assets 39.6% 61.2% 70.2%
Equity / assets 60.4% 38.8% 29.8%
Interest coverage 50.6x 10.5x 4.8x
Current ratio 1.2x 0.9x 1.3x
Quick ratio 0.8x 0.6x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.4x 1.0x
Altman Z-score 9.49 4.16 3.60

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMSFTCSCODOCN
Dividend yield 0.7% 1.5% –
Net buyback yield 0.5% 1.3% -8.1%
Shareholder yield 1.2% 2.8% -8.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 19.0% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 45.1% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 9.5% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 10.1% – –

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.

ConsensusMSFTCSCODOCN
Forward P/E 26.0xFY2027 23.3xFY2027 77.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $20.39FY2027 $4.74FY2027 $1.36FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +18.0%FY2027 +9.5%FY2027 -35.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +11.6% +20.7% +25.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $402.39BFY2027 $74.93BFY2027 $1.11BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +21.3%FY2027 +18.3%FY2027 +23.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +12.9% +0.6% +52.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMSFTCSCODOCN
Held by institutions 73.9% 80.1% 91.0%
Institutions holding 6,230 4,046 566
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.3% +5.0% -0.9%
Institutions buying 3,434 1,847 331
Institutions selling 2,426 1,817 187
Buyers to sellers 1.42 1.02 1.77

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.

MSFTCSCODOCN
MSFT 1.00 0.03 0.16
CSCO 0.03 1.00 0.24
DOCN 0.16 0.24 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MSFT, CSCO and DOCN?

Microsoft (MSFT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Microsoft (MSFT) $3.94T, Cisco Systems (CSCO) $435.20B, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) $11.04B.

Which stock is cheaper, MSFT, CSCO and DOCN?

Microsoft (MSFT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Microsoft (MSFT) 27.6x, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 32.9x, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 46.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Cisco Systems (CSCO) is cheapest (Microsoft (MSFT) 26.0x, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 23.3x, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 77.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Microsoft (MSFT) +17.9%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +11.8%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) +21.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Microsoft (MSFT) has the highest net margin (Microsoft (MSFT) 41.2%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.0%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 23.3%). On return on invested capital, Microsoft (MSFT) leads (Microsoft (MSFT) 26.5%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 15.9%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 8.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) returned the most: Microsoft (MSFT) -2.0%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +51.9%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) +164.5%. Over five years, Cisco Systems (CSCO) compounded fastest (Microsoft (MSFT) +9.9%/yr, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +14.5%/yr, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) +1.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has the highest dividend yield: Microsoft (MSFT) 0.69%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 1.51%. DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Microsoft (MSFT) has been the steadiest (Microsoft (MSFT) 32.6%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 35.5%, DigitalOcean Holdings (DOCN) 85.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, MSFT, CSCO and DOCN?

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