Cisco Systems, Inc. vs Apple Inc.
AAPL wins the Tale of the Tape 5–3.
🏆 Tale of the Tape
Green = winner in each category. Higher is better except P/E (lower = cheaper).
Rolling Correlation
Moderately correlated — some diversification benefit from holding both.
Fundamentals
| Metric | CSCO | AAPL |
|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $474.6B | $4.58T |
| P/E Ratio | 40.1x | 37.7x |
| Forward P/E | 25.2x | 32.5x |
| P/B | 9.74x | 42.98x |
| Dividend Yield | 1.40% | 0.35% |
| Beta | 0.91 | 1.06 |
Quantitative Metrics
| Metric | CSCO | AAPL |
|---|---|---|
| DCF Fair Value | $70.57 | $58.50 |
| DCF Upside | -14.3% | -77.4% |
| Piotroski F | 8/9 | 8/9 |
| Altman Z | 3.39 | 10.31 |
| Beneish M | -2.65 | -2.37 |
| FCF Yield | 3.92% | 2.55% |
| Net Debt/EBITDA | 0.9x | 0.3x |
| ROIC | 11.5% | 54.3% |
| WACC | 9.5% | 11.5% |
| ROIC – WACC | 2.0pp | 42.8pp |
| Gross Margin | 64.9% | 46.9% |
| Net Margin | 18.0% | 26.9% |
| Rev Growth YoY | 5.3% | 6.4% |
| Sharpe (1Y) | 1.39 | 1.03 |
| Max Drawdown 3Y | — | -33.4% |
| FCF Payout Ratio | 48% | 16% |
CSCO Price
AAPL Price
ETF Exposure
CSCO found in:
AAPL found in:
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Quant metrics computed from financial statements and 1,200+ trading days. Correlation is Pearson coefficient on daily log returns. Not investment advice.
CSCO vs AAPL: Head-to-Head Analysis
Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) and Apple Inc. (AAPL) represent two companies in the Technology sector. In our quantitative Tale of the Tape scoring, AAPL leads 5–3 across nine fundamental and risk metrics including profitability, valuation, capital efficiency, and financial health.
In terms of capital efficiency, CSCO generates a return on invested capital (ROIC) of 11.5% compared to AAPL's 54.3%. This suggests AAPL is more effective at deploying capital to generate shareholder returns.
The 252-day rolling correlation between CSCO and AAPL is 0.356, indicating moderate co-movement, with some diversification value from holding both in a portfolio context.
CSCO appears in 42 ETFs tracked by SecuritiesDB, while AAPL appears in 43 ETFs. Investors holding broad-market ETFs may already have indirect exposure to both stocks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stock is the better investment, CSCO or AAPL?
Our quantitative analysis compares CSCO and AAPL across nine fundamental dimensions. AAPL wins the Tale of the Tape 5–3. However, stock selection depends on your individual risk tolerance, time horizon, and portfolio context. These metrics are computed from SEC filings and market data — they are not investment recommendations.
Are CSCO and AAPL correlated?
The 252-day correlation between CSCO and AAPL is 0.356. They show moderate correlation — partially diversifying.
How is the Tale of the Tape scored?
The Tale of the Tape compares both stocks across nine categories: profitability (net margin), valuation (P/E), efficiency (ROIC), health (Piotroski F-Score), safety (Altman Z-Score), growth (revenue YoY), risk (Sharpe ratio), leverage (debt-to-equity), and cash generation (FCF yield). The stock that wins more categories takes the overall score. Lower P/E and lower debt-to-equity count as wins.