Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. EXTR scored 54.9, CSCO scored 57.1 — CSCO leads.
Compare another set
EXTR
Extreme Networks, Inc.
Communication Equipment · Quality-Growth
54.9
$24.19 · $3.2B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
2.2
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
CheapestCSCO34.5x
Fastest growthEXTR+12.6%
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)
EXTR
stronger →← stronger
CSCO
71
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
77
77
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
74
30
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
32
CSCO is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
EXTR
CSCO
$95mC-
FCF
$12.8bA-
+12.6%B+
Rev
+11.8%B
2.20D
D/E
0.62C+
78.0xC
P/E
34.5xB
0.89B+
PEG
1.06B+
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
EXTR
CSCO
199% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
115% above
~40%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~26%/yr
-70%
1-yr DCF upside
-57%
-67%
5-yr DCF upside
-53%
-62%
10-yr DCF upside
-49%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
EXTR
No notable signals flagged.
CSCO
Why this score
Durable high returns
The companies
EXTRExtreme Networks, Inc.
Communication Equipment · $24.19 · beta 1.76
Why now
Communication Equipment · market cap $3.2b. Down 28% from 52-week high of $33.73 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +13%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.89 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 8 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $33.50 (implying +38% upside).
Moat
ROE 48% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. Free cash flow runs well ahead of reported net income, mostly because of stock-based pay ($88m) — a real cost to shareholders, paid in shares rather than cash.
Risk
D/E 2.20 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Trailing P/E 78.0x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating. Beta 1.76 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 EXTR and CSCO diverge
On the headline score the gap is 2.2 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.
QualityEXTR 70.5 · CSCO 77.2CSCO +6.7
GrowthEXTR 77.5 · CSCO 74.1EXTR +3.4
ValueEXTR 30.2 · CSCO 32.5level
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 EXTR the better stock?
CSCO scores higher: CSCO 57.1, EXTR 54.9 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 EXTR differ most?
The widest gap is quality, where CSCO leads by 7 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 EXTR 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.