Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. ASTS scored 16.3, CSCO scored 57.1 — CSCO leads.
Compare another set
ASTS
AST SpaceMobile, Inc.
Communication Equipment · Quality-Growth
16.3
$50.97 · $19.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
40.8
CSCO leads
CSCO
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Communication Equipment · Quality-Growth
57.1
$118.39 · $466.8B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Strongest balance sheetCSCO0.62
Highest qualityCSCO77 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
ASTS
stronger →← stronger
CSCO
8
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
77
96
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
74
6
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
32
CSCO is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
ASTS
CSCO
-$1.6bF
FCF
$12.8bA-
—
Rev
+11.8%B
1.25C
D/E
0.62C+
—
PEG
1.06B+
—
P/E
34.5xB
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
ASTS
CSCO
—
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
115% above
—
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~26%/yr
—
1-yr DCF upside
-57%
—
5-yr DCF upside
-53%
—
10-yr DCF upside
-49%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
ASTS
Why this score
Diluting shareholders
CSCO
Why this score
Durable high returns
The companies
ASTSAST SpaceMobile, Inc.
Communication Equipment · $50.97 · beta 2.71
Why now
Communication Equipment · market cap $19.8b. Down 62% from 52-week high of $133.86 — deep drawdown territory. 12 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $77.94 (implying +53% upside).
Moat
Higher-variance name — the moat signals on the quantitative card are modest, so the durability case rests on execution (turning current growth into durable earnings power) or an un-monetized asset (IP / network effects / first-mover position) rather than an entrenched competitive position.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$1.6b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. Down 62% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Beta 2.71 implies above-market volatility — position-size to the drawdowns this name will produce in a market correction, not to its bull-case return.
CSCOCisco Systems, Inc.
Communication Equipment · $118.39 · beta 0.98
Why now
Communication Equipment · market cap $466.8b. 9% off the 52-week high of $130.37. Revenue growing +12%, comfortably above the S&P median. 25 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $136.16 (implying +15% upside).
Moat
Net margin 21% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. ROE 27% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 96% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Trailing P/E 35x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where ASTS and CSCO diverge
On the headline score the gap is 40.8 points in favor of CSCO. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
QualityASTS 8.1 · CSCO 77.2CSCO +69.1
ValueASTS 5.5 · CSCO 32.5CSCO +27.0
GrowthASTS 96.3 · CSCO 74.1ASTS +22.2
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is CSCO or ASTS the better stock?
CSCO scores higher: CSCO 57.1, ASTS 16.3 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do CSCO and ASTS differ most?
The widest gap is quality, where CSCO leads by 69 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are CSCO and ASTS scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.