COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
CIEN vs CSCO
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. CIEN scored 59.0, CSCO scored 60.7 — CSCO leads.
Compare another set
CIEN
Ciena Corporation
59
$395.79 · $56.0B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
1.7
CSCO leads
CSCO
Cisco Systems, Inc.
60.7
$111.04 · $437.7B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestCSCO33.3x
- Fastest growthCIEN+30.6%
- Strongest balance sheetCIEN0.55
- Highest qualityCSCO77 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
CIEN
stronger →← stronger
CSCO
62
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
77
80
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
72
42
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
40
CIEN is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CIEN
CSCO
$833mC+
FCF
$11.8bA-
+30.6%A
Rev
+9.2%B
0.55C+
D/E
0.59C+
131.5xD
P/E
33.3xB
0.69A-
PEG
1.02B+
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
CIEN
CSCO
260% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
128% above
~51%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~27%/yr
-79%
1-yr DCF upside
-59%
-72%
5-yr DCF upside
-56%
-59%
10-yr DCF upside
-52%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
CIEN
No notable signals flagged.
CSCO
Why this score
- Durable high returns
The companies
CIENCiena Corporation
Why now
Communication Equipment · market cap $56.0b. Down 38% from 52-week high of $637.51 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +31% — in hypergrowth territory. PEG 0.69 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 19 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $557.29 (implying +41% upside).
Moat
ROE 15% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 190% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined. $56.0b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Trailing P/E 131.5x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating. Down 38% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. P/S 10.1x embeds aggressive forward growth — disappointing top-line guidance would compress the multiple hard.
CSCOCisco Systems, Inc.
Why now
Communication Equipment · market cap $437.7b. 15% off the 52-week high of $130.37. 22 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $136.05 (implying +23% upside).
Moat
Net margin 20% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 24% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 99% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Trailing P/E 33x 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 CIEN and CSCO diverge
On the headline score the gap is 1.7 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.
- QualityCIEN 62.0 · CSCO 77.1CSCO +15.1
- GrowthCIEN 79.5 · CSCO 72.0CIEN +7.5
- ValueCIEN 41.6 · CSCO 40.3level
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a 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.