CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. vs Seagate Technology Holdings plc, two Computer Hardware stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
One sells the network, the other sells the shelves it fills. Cisco is an installed-base franchise, 63.6% gross margins, a 25% operating margin it earns in most conditions, and a 1.4% dividend; Seagate is a drive manufacturer whose 32.1% operating margin marks the crest of a storage cycle, with a 217% return on equity that is purely the arithmetic of 3.5 turns of leverage on a sliver of equity (the 26.7% return on assets is the honest number). The multiples price the temperature difference backwards from habit: 85.1 times the cyclical, 37.7 times the franchise. That ordering embeds a specific belief, that AI data growth has made drive demand structural. The pair is where that belief can be checked against a price.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | CSCO | STX |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $113.45 | $896.74 |
| Market cap | $451.8B | $205.4B |
| Sector | Computer Hardware | Computer Hardware |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| P/E | 37.7 | 85.1 |
| P/B | 9.25 | 187.54 |
| P/S | 7.44 | 18.65 |
| EV/EBITDA | 33.8 | 65.5 |
| Revenue growth | +9.2% | +29.1% |
| Gross margin | 63.6% | — |
| Operating margin | 25.0% | 32.1% |
| Net margin | 19.7% | 21.6% |
| Return on equity | 24.5% | 217.2% |
| Return on assets | 9.5% | 26.7% |
| Return on invested capital | 14.2% | 54.2% |
| FCF yield | 2.6% | 1.2% |
| Dividend yield | 1.4% | 0.3% |
| Debt / equity | 0.71 | 3.53 |
| Current ratio | 0.92 | 1.33 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 4.10 | 6.66 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 7 / 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.