Cisco Systems, Inc. vs Microsoft Corporation
MSFT wins the Tale of the Tape 6–3.
🏆 Tale of the Tape
Green = winner in each category. Higher is better except P/E (lower = cheaper).
Rolling Correlation
Low correlation — excellent diversification pair.
Fundamentals
| Metric | CSCO | MSFT |
|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $474.6B | $3.34T |
| P/E Ratio | 40.1x | 26.8x |
| Forward P/E | 25.2x | 23.3x |
| P/B | 9.74x | 8.07x |
| Dividend Yield | 1.40% | 0.81% |
| Beta | 0.91 | 1.09 |
Quantitative Metrics
| Metric | CSCO | MSFT |
|---|---|---|
| DCF Fair Value | $70.57 | $120.75 |
| DCF Upside | -14.3% | -68.6% |
| Piotroski F | 8/9 | 5/9 |
| Altman Z | 3.39 | 7.76 |
| Beneish M | -2.65 | -2.57 |
| FCF Yield | 3.92% | 2.59% |
| Net Debt/EBITDA | 0.9x | 0.1x |
| ROIC | 11.5% | 20.8% |
| WACC | 9.5% | 11.5% |
| ROIC – WACC | 2.0pp | 9.3pp |
| Gross Margin | 64.9% | 68.8% |
| Net Margin | 18.0% | 36.1% |
| Rev Growth YoY | 5.3% | 14.9% |
| Sharpe (1Y) | 1.39 | -0.11 |
| Max Drawdown 3Y | — | -33.9% |
| FCF Payout Ratio | 48% | 34% |
CSCO Price
MSFT Price
ETF Exposure
CSCO found in:
MSFT 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 MSFT: Head-to-Head Analysis
Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) represent two companies in the Technology sector. In our quantitative Tale of the Tape scoring, MSFT leads 6–3 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 MSFT's 20.8%. This suggests MSFT is more effective at deploying capital to generate shareholder returns.
The 252-day rolling correlation between CSCO and MSFT is 0.220, indicating low correlation, making them an effective diversification pair in a portfolio context.
CSCO appears in 42 ETFs tracked by SecuritiesDB, while MSFT appears in 46 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 MSFT?
Our quantitative analysis compares CSCO and MSFT across nine fundamental dimensions. MSFT wins the Tale of the Tape 6–3. 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 MSFT correlated?
The 252-day correlation between CSCO and MSFT is 0.220. They have low correlation, offering good diversification.
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.