Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. CSCO scored 57.1, BDC scored 67.5 — BDC leads.
Compare another set
CSCO
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Communication Equipment · Quality-Growth
57.1
$118.39 · $466.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
10.4
BDC leads
BDC
Belden Inc.
Communication Equipment · Quality-Growth
67.5
$109.15 · $4.3B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestBDC17.7x
Fastest growthCSCO+11.8%
Strongest balance sheetCSCO0.62
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)
CSCO
stronger →← stronger
BDC
77
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
65
74
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
75
32
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
63
BDC is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CSCO
BDC
$12.8bA-
FCF
$212mC
+11.8%B
Rev
+10.3%B
0.62C+
D/E
0.97C
34.5xB
P/E
17.7xA-
1.06B+
PEG
1.05B+
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
CSCO
BDC
115% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
29% above
~26%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~14%/yr
-57%
1-yr DCF upside
-29%
-53%
5-yr DCF upside
-23%
-49%
10-yr DCF upside
-13%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
CSCO
Why this score
Durable high returns
BDC
No notable signals flagged.
The companies
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.
BDCBelden Inc.
Communication Equipment · $109.15 · beta 1.13
Why now
Communication Equipment · market cap $4.3b. Down 32% from 52-week high of $159.99 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +10%, comfortably above the S&P median. 5 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $153.20 (implying +40% upside).
Moat
ROE 19% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately.
Risk
Down 32% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
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 CSCO and BDC diverge
On the headline score the gap is 10.4 points in favor of BDC. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
ValueCSCO 32.5 · BDC 63.2BDC +30.7
QualityCSCO 77.2 · BDC 64.7CSCO +12.5
GrowthCSCO 74.1 · BDC 75.3level
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 BDC or CSCO the better stock?
BDC scores higher: BDC 67.5, CSCO 57.1 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 BDC and CSCO differ most?
The widest gap is value, where BDC leads by 31 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 BDC and CSCO 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.