ANET vs CSCO Stock Comparison
CSCO currently leads ANET in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 59 vs 48. The clearest difference is value, while ANET has the stronger quality profile.
What is the main difference between ANET and CSCO?
CSCO leads the current stock comparison as Cisco Systems, Inc., with the clearest separation coming from value and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Arista Networks, Inc. vs Cisco Systems, Inc.
CSCO leads
CSCO leads by 11 AIQ points, primarily on Value and Momentum, having only recently taken the lead back from ANET.
Fragile: 4 of 6 evidence groups support CSCO, the lead recently changed hands, and its current signal state is conflicted.
Arista Networks, Inc.
Cisco Systems, Inc.
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors CSCO over ANET, 59 versus 48 as of Oct 21, 2026. CSCO's advantage is driven primarily by stronger value and momentum, while ANET holds the stronger quality profile. CSCO also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 4 of 6 covered evidence groups favor CSCO today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the lead has already changed hands inside the comparison window. CSCO lead: Reversed — ANET led by 2 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; CSCO now leads by 11.
Compare Arista Networks, Inc. and Cisco Systems, Inc. across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare ANET and CSCO against another ticker
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AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Value26 vs 53CSCO +27
- Momentum22 vs 44CSCO +22
- Quality89 vs 78ANET +11
- Risk Resilience53 vs 59CSCO +6
4 of 6 evidence groups favor CSCO. CSCO’s edge is concentrated in value and momentum; ANET keeps a meaningful quality edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Momentum -1, not enough on its own to move the overall score.
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 4 active signals are unchanged.
Largest factor move: Momentum -2
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 2 active signals are unchanged.
CSCO's lead narrowed by 1 AIQ point in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — ANET and CSCO both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
CSCO (Cisco Systems, Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by value and momentum.
ANET (Arista Networks, Inc.): the counter-case, on quality, fundamentals — but at materially higher volatility, 40.5% against 30.9%.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
CSCOCSCO on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.
Growth
ANETANET on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
CSCOCSCO on the peer-relative Value factor, by 27 points.
Momentum
CSCOCSCO on the Momentum factor, by 22 points.
Lower downside
CSCOCSCO on Risk Resilience, by 6 points.
Analyst upside
CSCOCSCO on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
Where the systematic read and the analyst consensus line up — and where they do not.
| Measure | ANET | CSCO | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +17.3% | +20.5% | CSCO has more room |
| Target dispersion | +57.8% | +30.9% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Buy | Buy | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 14 | 13 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
4 of 6 covered evidence groups favor CSCO. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | CSCO | 48 vs 59 |
| Fundamentals | ANETon balance | revenue growth 12.1% vs 8.9%; EPS growth 18.5% vs 15.3%; TTM ROE 30.8% vs 27.4%; gross margin 63% vs 64.5%; operating margin 43.1% vs 24.3% — ANET takes 4 of 5 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | CSCO | Value 26 vs 53 |
| Technicals | Even | Price vs 50-day -7% vs -3.4%; vs 200-day 11.1% vs 7% |
| Risk Resilience | CSCO | Risk Resilience 53 vs 59 |
| Analyst expectations | CSCO | Target upside 17.3% vs 20.5% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of ANET and CSCO and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 11 points.
- The lead has already changed hands inside the comparison window. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on CSCO.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20CSCO lead: Reversed — ANET led by 2 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; CSCO now leads by 11.
- Today
- CSCO +11
- 48 vs 59
- 7 sessions ago
- CSCO +13
- 49 vs 62
- 30 sessions ago
- ANET +2
- 61 vs 59
- 90 sessions ago
- ANET +7
- 62 vs 55
The lead changed hands 8 times in this window, most recently on Oct 2 when CSCO moved ahead of ANET.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
1 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
Only ANET
- ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode — neutral, volatility, short horizon (4.54%)
- Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
1 bullish / 1 bearish, conflicted
No signal that the other name lacks.
Both carry 2 more signals that do not separate them: Golden Cross Active, MACD Bearish Crossover.
CSCO leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +1.73%, AIQ 0 points).
Price is up while the AIQ Score moved down 1 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price +0.52%, AIQ -1 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1ANET closes the Value gap — currently 27 points behind, the largest single contributor to CSCO's edge.
- 2ANET's Keltner Channel Breakdown resolves — a bearish volatility rule currently active against it.
- 3CSCO's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
ANET leads on balance| Metric | ANET | CSCO |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 12.1% | 8.9% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | 18.5% | 15.3% |
| Gross margin | 63% | 64.5% |
| Operating margin | 43.1% | 24.3% |
| Return on equity (TTM) | 30.8% | 27.4% |
| Debt to equity | 0 | 0.59 |
Performance
CSCO leads 5 of 6 windows| Metric | ANET | CSCO |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -11.4% | -7.3% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -11.7% | 0.3% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | 3.6% | -4.9% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | 4.8% | 19% |
| Year to date | 38.3% | 38.5% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | 24.4% | 54.5% |
Technicals
Split| Metric | ANET | CSCO |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 34.3 | 48.4 |
| ADX (14) | 24.6 | 21.8 |
| Price vs 50-day | -7% | -3.4% |
| Price vs 200-day | 11.1% | 7% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 40.5% | 30.9% |
Risk
CSCO is the more resilient| Metric | ANET | CSCO |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 2.18 | 1.1 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.64 | 1.26 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.98 | 1.67 |
| Max drawdown | -28.3% | -18.1% |
| Current drawdown | -16.4% | -17.9% |
| Annualized volatility | 53.7% | 35.3% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -4.8% | -2.9% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, ANET or CSCO?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, CSCO is the stronger of the two as of Oct 21, 2026, scoring 59 against ANET's 48. The edge comes from value and momentum. ANET is not without a case — it holds the better quality profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is ANET or CSCO the better buy right now?
CSCO carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 21, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 4 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: the lead has already changed hands inside the comparison window. Treat the lead as provisional.
Why does the AIQ Score favor CSCO over ANET?
The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. CSCO leads Value by 27 points; CSCO leads Momentum by 22 points; ANET leads Quality by 11 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, ANET or CSCO?
Analyst price targets imply +17.3% upside for ANET and +20.5% for CSCO, so the Street currently favors CSCO. The model and the Street agree here, which is a broader base of evidence than either alone. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, ANET or CSCO?
CSCO is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. CSCO on the peer-relative Value factor, by 27 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, ANET or CSCO?
ANET on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, ANET or CSCO?
CSCO on the Momentum factor, by 22 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, ANET or CSCO?
CSCO is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. CSCO on Risk Resilience, by 6 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is ANET more profitable than CSCO?
The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 63% vs 64.5%; operating margin 43.1% vs 24.3%; ttm roe 30.8% vs 27.4%. ANET leads on two measures and CSCO on one measure, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.
Is CSCO's lead over ANET getting stronger or weaker?
CSCO lead: Reversed — ANET led by 2 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; CSCO now leads by 11. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-21 and 2026-10-20. The lead has changed hands 8 times in that window, most recently on 2026-10-02, when CSCO moved ahead of ANET.
What would change the ANET vs CSCO verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: ANET closes the Value gap — currently 27 points behind, the largest single contributor to CSCO's edge; ANET's Keltner Channel Breakdown resolves — a bearish volatility rule currently active against it; CSCO's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once; a regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
What do the current signals say about ANET and CSCO?
ANET: 1 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. CSCO: 1 bullish / 1 bearish, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on ANET is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon). On CSCO it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).
Compare ANET and CSCO with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.