CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. vs INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP, two Computer Hardware stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where CSCO and IBM diverge most: on ev/ebitda, CSCO reads 36.0 and IBM reads 593.4; on debt / equity, CSCO reads 0.71 and IBM reads 2.01. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. What CSCO's price implies is a somewhat stretched bet versus history (whole-company basis). What IBM's price implies is a demanding bet versus history and the cohort (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | CSCO | IBM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $121.24 | $287.54 |
| Market cap | $482.8B | $273.8B |
| Sector | Computer Hardware | Computer Hardware |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| P/E | 40.3 | 25.4 |
| P/B | 9.88 | 8.28 |
| P/S | 7.95 | 3.97 |
| EV/EBITDA | 36.0 | 593.4 |
| Revenue growth | +9.2% | +9.6% |
| Gross margin | 63.6% | 56.2% |
| Operating margin | 25.0% | — |
| Net margin | 19.7% | 12.5% |
| Return on equity | 24.5% | 26.1% |
| Return on assets | 9.5% | 5.5% |
| Return on invested capital | 14.2% | — |
| FCF yield | 2.4% | 4.7% |
| Dividend yield | 1.3% | 2.3% |
| Debt / equity | 0.71 | 2.01 |
| Current ratio | 0.92 | 0.80 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 4.34 | 3.10 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 5 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.