Side by sideCisco (CSCO) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW)Memos of October 10, 2026 and October 12, 2026
Cisco vs Palo Alto Networks stock: the numbers side by side (October 2026)
How do Cisco and Palo Alto Networks compare?
| Cisco CSCO | Palo Alto Networks PANW | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 11.8%Year to Jul 2026 | 24.5%Jul 2026 |
| Operating margin | 24.3%Year to Jul 2026 | 6.1%Jul 2026 |
| Free cash flow | 12,767US$ millions · Year to Jul 2026 | 4,113US$ millions · Jul 2026 |
| Free cash flow yield | 2.7%Today (Oct 9, 2026) | 1.2%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) | 821.1xToday (Oct 12, 2026) |
| P/E, next 12 months | 23.1xToday (Oct 9, 2026) | 86.1xToday (Oct 12, 2026) |
| Weighted price forecast, about 1 year | 98.59 (-15 %)October 2027 | 230.62 (-45 %)October 2027 |
| Weighted price forecast, about 3 years | 105.81 (-6 %)October 2029 | 280.57 (-33 %)October 2029 |
Who leads on what?
| Leads | The lead is | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | Palo Alto Networks | The higher figure |
| Operating margin | Cisco | 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 | Cisco | The higher weighted return |
| Weighted price forecast, about 3 years | Cisco | 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
Palo Alto Networks protects organizations with firewalls that check traffic and block unauthorized access, cloud-delivered access, cloud and endpoint security, identity tools, and security-operations software.
Palo Alto Networks (PANW), from our memo of October 12, 2026 · Palo Alto Networks stock forecast