MSFT vs CSCO vs GOOGL Stock Comparison

Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Alphabet Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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MSFT Microsoft Corp
$507.12 -2.0% 1M -2.1% 1Y
Market cap
$3.77T
P/E
26.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$346.45B
Div. yield
0.72%
Cloud Platforms Technology
4 wins
CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.
$101.61 -9.4% 1M +39.0% 1Y
Market cap
$400.95B
P/E
30.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$63.33B
Div. yield
1.64%
Networking Equipment Technology
2 wins
GOOGL Alphabet Inc.
$278.99 -18.8% 1M -0.8% 1Y
Market cap
$3.39T
P/E
14.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$471.10B
Div. yield
0.31%
Digital Advertising Technology
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Alphabet leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Alphabet 6, Microsoft 4, Cisco Systems 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMSFTCSCOGOOGLLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $3.77T $400.95B $3.39T MSFT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 26.4x 30.3x 14.4x GOOGL
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 24.9x 21.4x 13.2x GOOGL
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.9% +11.8% +22.2% GOOGL
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 41.2% 21.0% 49.9% GOOGL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 26.5% 15.9% 16.7% MSFT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.1x 0.8x -0.8x GOOGL
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.72% 1.64% 0.31% CSCO
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -2.1% +39.0% -0.8% CSCO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +8.7%/yr +12.0%/yr +13.7%/yr GOOGL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 32.7% 35.9% 34.1% MSFT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 79/100 53/100 57/100 MSFT

Percentile Scorecard

MSFTCSCOGOOGL

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

AxisMSFTCSCOGOOGL
Valuation 61 #15 of 37 30 #79 of 112 38 #102 of 165
Growth 74 #10 of 36 40 #65 of 108 67 #51 of 153
Profitability 97 #2 of 34 87 #14 of 104 83 #27 of 153
Financial Health 84 #7 of 38 30 #82 of 116 74 #47 of 179
Shareholder Returns 81 #5 of 22 80 #17 of 80 20 #75 of 94
Overall 79 53 57
  • MSFT ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing
  • CSCO ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • GOOGL ranked among 185 companies in Internet Platforms

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMSFTCSCOGOOGLSPY
1 month -2.0%-9.4%-18.8% -2.3%
3 months +4.0%-12.3%-25.3% -0.7%
6 months +22.6%+9.7%-27.2% +4.8%
Year to date +4.9%+31.9%-10.9% +10.3%
1 year -2.1%+39.0%-0.8% +10.3%
3 years +43.7%+91.7%+116.1% +73.0%
3 years, per year +12.9%+24.2%+29.3% +20.1%
5 years +51.8%+76.3%+90.3% +61.9%
5 years, per year +8.7%+12.0%+13.7% +10.1%
10 years +753.3%+234.4%+607.7% +258.6%
10 years, per year +23.9%+12.8%+21.6% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureMSFTCSCOGOOGLSPY
Volatility, 1Y 32.7%35.9%34.1% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.8%37.6%34.5% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.991.161.40 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.061.09-0.02 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -37.6%-38.6%-44.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -6.7%-21.8%-30.7% -3.5%
52-week high $543.45$130.00$402.62 $779.14
52-week low $352.83$71.04$273.50 $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.

MultipleMSFTCSCOGOOGL
P/E now vs peer median 26.4xmedian 26.4x 30.3xmedian 29.9x 14.4xmedian 17.3x
P/S now vs peer median 10.9xmedian 3.8x 6.3xmedian 2.8x 7.2xmedian 1.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 18.2xmedian 21.2x 23.1xmedian 18.5x 17.6xmedian 14.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 62.8xmedian 17.3x 31.4xmedian 28.0x 171.7xmedian 10.8x
P/B now vs peer median 8.0xmedian 3.4x 8.0xmedian 2.8x 5.0xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median 1.16median 0.34 11.24median 1.00 0.25median 0.40

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 monthsMSFTCSCOGOOGL
Revenue $346.45B $63.33B $471.10B
Gross profit $234.39B $40.86B $286.70B
Operating income $163.19B $15.37B $156.98B
Net income $142.63B $13.27B $235.69B
Free cash flow $59.96B $12.77B $19.75B
R&D $36.46B $9.56B $74.46B
EPS (diluted) $19.16 $3.33 $19.12
Cash & equivalents $20.28B $7.22B $56.33B
Total debt $35.48B $29.53B $125.10B
Shares (diluted) 7.45B 3.99B 12.31B
Enterprise value $3.70T $336.88B $3.12T

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
MetricMSFTCSCOGOOGL
P/E 26.4x 30.3x 14.4x
P/FCF 62.8x 31.4x 171.7x
P/Operating cash flow 19.2x 28.3x 18.9x
P/S 10.9x 6.3x 7.2x
P/B 8.0x 8.0x 5.0x
P/Tangible book 8.3x 9.4x 5.1x
EV/EBITDA 18.2x 23.1x 17.6x
EV/EBIT 22.9x 27.0x 20.7x
EV/Revenue 10.8x 6.5x 6.9x
EV/FCF 62.3x 32.5x 164.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.1x 29.2x 18.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.16 11.24 0.25

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMSFTCSCOGOOGL
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.9% 11.8% 22.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 16.6% 3.6% 16.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 16.0% 11.1% 25.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 15.6% 4.6% 20.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 20.0% 30.7% 26.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 20.2% 0.7% 25.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 36.0% 30.3% 89.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 22.8% 1.7% 52.3%
EPS growth (1Y) 36.3% 30.7% 87.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 22.8% 2.7% 57.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 33.2% -0.1% 18.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 27.3% -10.7% 19.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -23.1% -3.9% -73.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -1.8% -12.5% -36.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMSFTCSCOGOOGL
Gross margin 67.7% 64.5% 60.9%
EBITDA margin 59.3% 28.3% 39.3%
Operating margin 47.1% 24.3% 33.3%
Pretax margin 51.3% 25.3% 61.1%
Net margin 41.2% 21.0% 49.9%
FCF margin 17.3% 20.2% 4.2%
Operating cash flow margin 56.5% 22.4% 38.1%
Return on equity 31.2% 26.8% 35.8%
Return on assets 18.6% 10.4% 24.5%
Return on invested capital 26.5% 15.9% 16.7%
Return on capital employed 26.5% 17.9% 19.0%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.1x 0.8x
Stock comp / revenue 3.6% 6.0% 6.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMSFTCSCOGOOGL
Debt / assets 4.6% 22.8% 12.5%
Debt / equity 0.1x 0.6x 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.1x 0.8x -0.8x
Debt / FCF 0.6x 2.3x 6.3x
Liabilities / assets 39.6% 61.2% 32.5%
Equity / assets 60.4% 38.8% 67.5%
Interest coverage 50.6x 10.5x –
Current ratio 1.2x 0.9x 2.8x
Quick ratio 0.8x 0.6x 2.5x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.4x 2.0x
Altman Z-score 9.14 3.90 8.24

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMSFTCSCOGOOGL
Dividend yield 0.7% 1.6% 0.3%
Net buyback yield 0.5% 1.4% -0.2%
Shareholder yield 1.2% 3.1% 0.1%
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.

ConsensusMSFTCSCOGOOGL
Forward P/E 24.9xFY2027 21.4xFY2027 13.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $20.39FY2027 $4.74FY2027 $21.10FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +18.0%FY2027 +9.5%FY2027 +95.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +11.6% +20.7% -31.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $402.39BFY2027 $74.93BFY2027 $528.22BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +21.3%FY2027 +18.3%FY2027 +31.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +12.9% +0.6% +21.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMSFTCSCOGOOGL
Held by institutions 73.9% 80.1% 70.1%
Institutions holding 6,232 4,048 5,743
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.3% +5.0% +4.6%
Institutions buying 3,435 1,848 2,657
Institutions selling 2,427 1,818 2,575
Buyers to sellers 1.42 1.02 1.03

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.

MSFTCSCOGOOGL
MSFT 1.00 0.05 0.16
CSCO 0.05 1.00 0.11
GOOGL 0.16 0.11 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MSFT, CSCO and GOOGL?

Microsoft (MSFT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Microsoft (MSFT) $3.77T, Cisco Systems (CSCO) $400.95B, Alphabet (GOOGL) $3.39T.

Which stock is cheaper, MSFT, CSCO and GOOGL?

Alphabet (GOOGL) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Microsoft (MSFT) 26.4x, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 30.3x, Alphabet (GOOGL) 14.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Alphabet (GOOGL) is cheapest (Microsoft (MSFT) 24.9x, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.4x, Alphabet (GOOGL) 13.2x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Alphabet (GOOGL) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Microsoft (MSFT) +17.9%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +11.8%, Alphabet (GOOGL) +22.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Alphabet (GOOGL) has the highest net margin (Microsoft (MSFT) 41.2%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 21.0%, Alphabet (GOOGL) 49.9%). On return on invested capital, Microsoft (MSFT) leads (Microsoft (MSFT) 26.5%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 15.9%, Alphabet (GOOGL) 16.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Cisco Systems (CSCO) returned the most: Microsoft (MSFT) -2.1%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +39.0%, Alphabet (GOOGL) -0.8%. Over five years, Alphabet (GOOGL) compounded fastest (Microsoft (MSFT) +8.7%/yr, Cisco Systems (CSCO) +12.0%/yr, Alphabet (GOOGL) +13.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Cisco Systems (CSCO) has the highest dividend yield: Microsoft (MSFT) 0.72%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 1.64%, Alphabet (GOOGL) 0.31%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Microsoft (MSFT) has been the steadiest (Microsoft (MSFT) 32.7%, Cisco Systems (CSCO) 35.9%, Alphabet (GOOGL) 34.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Alphabet (GOOGL) leads on 6. 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.