CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. vs NetApp, Inc., two Computer Hardware stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Nothing in this data says either company is growing quickly, so the multiples are doing the talking: Cisco at 37.7 times trailing earnings is priced for an AI-networking second act, NetApp at 24 times for more of what it already does. The economics sit closer than the price tags, operating margins of 25% and 27.3%, gross margins in the 60s and 70s. NetApp hands back far more of its price in cash, a 6.1% free-cash yield against 2.6%, with similar dividends near 1.4%. NetApp's 94% return on equity is buyback-and-leverage arithmetic (1.84 to equity); Cisco's 24.5% is closer to earned. The premium multiple sits on the bigger company's newer story.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | CSCO | NTAP |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $113.45 | $152.40 |
| Market cap | $451.8B | $30.5B |
| Sector | Computer Hardware | Computer Hardware |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +17.3% |
| P/E | 37.7 | 24.0 |
| P/B | 9.25 | 22.56 |
| P/S | 7.44 | 4.40 |
| EV/EBITDA | 33.8 | 17.0 |
| Revenue growth | +9.2% | +5.2% |
| Gross margin | 63.6% | 70.1% |
| Operating margin | 25.0% | 27.3% |
| Net margin | 19.7% | 18.4% |
| Return on equity | 24.5% | 94.5% |
| Return on assets | 9.5% | 11.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 14.2% | 34.0% |
| FCF yield | 2.6% | 6.1% |
| Dividend yield | 1.4% | 1.4% |
| Debt / equity | 0.71 | 1.84 |
| Current ratio | 0.92 | 1.44 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 4.10 | 2.97 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
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.