Side by sideCisco (CSCO) and Arista (ANET)Memos of October 10, 2026 and October 12, 2026
Cisco vs Arista stock: the numbers side by side (October 2026)
How do Cisco and Arista compare?
| Cisco CSCO | Arista ANET | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 11.8%Year to Jul 2026 | 28.6%2025 |
| Operating margin | 24.3%Year to Jul 2026 | 42.8%2025 |
| Free cash flow | 12,767US$ millions · Year to Jul 2026 | 4,252.4US$ millions · 2025 |
| Free cash flow yield | 2.7%Today (Oct 9, 2026) | 1.6%Today (Oct 12, 2026) |
| Dividend yield | 1.4%Today (Oct 9, 2026) | 0.0%Today (Oct 12, 2026) |
| P/E, last 12 months | 35.3xToday (Oct 9, 2026) | 67.8xToday (Oct 12, 2026) |
| P/E, next 12 months | 23.1xToday (Oct 9, 2026) | 40.9xToday (Oct 12, 2026) |
| Weighted price forecast, about 1 year | 98.59 (-15 %)October 2027 | 250.92 (+17 %)October 2027 |
| Weighted price forecast, about 3 years | 105.81 (-6 %)October 2029 | 326.86 (+52 %)October 2029 |
Who leads on what?
| Leads | The lead is | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | Arista | The higher figure |
| Operating margin | Arista | The higher figure |
| Free cash flow | Cisco | The higher figure |
| Free cash flow yield | Cisco | The higher figure |
| Dividend yield | Cisco | The higher figure |
| P/E, last 12 months | Cisco | The lower figure |
| P/E, next 12 months | Cisco | The lower figure |
| Weighted price forecast, about 1 year | Arista | The higher weighted return |
| Weighted price forecast, about 3 years | Arista | The higher weighted return |
What does each company do?
Cisco sells networking, security, collaboration and observability products—software that helps teams monitor systems and find problems—plus support and services.
Cisco (CSCO), from our memo of October 10, 2026 · Cisco stock forecast
Arista sells Ethernet switches—equipment that moves data across wired networks—routers, EOS software for switches and routers, CloudVision software for managing and monitoring networks, and support.
Arista (ANET), from our memo of October 12, 2026 · Arista stock forecast
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