ANSS vs CSCO Stock Comparison

CSCO currently leads ANSS in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 59 vs 56. The clearest difference is value, while ANSS has the stronger risk resilience profile.

Market data as of Oct 22, 2026 market close· AIQ score gap 3 points
ANSS
Technology
vs
CSCO
Technology
ANSS
ANSYS, Inc.
Price
$374
Day move
-
AIQ Score
56/100
Best edge
Risk Resilience
Sector
Technology
CSCO
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Leads
Price
$107
Day move
+0.52%
AIQ Score
59/100
Best edge
Value
Sector
Technology

What is the main difference between ANSS 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

ANSYS, Inc. vs Cisco Systems, Inc.

Data as of Oct 22, 2026· market close· Technology· Coverage 53/66 fields· Moderate confidence
AIQ VerdictFragileAIQ Comparison Conviction 3/10

CSCO leads

CSCO leads by 3 AIQ points, primarily on Value and Quality.

Fragile: 3 of 5 evidence groups support CSCO, and its current signal state is conflicted.

Evidence agreement: 3 of 5Comparison trend: Stable
ANSS

ANSYS, Inc.

AIQ Score
56/100
AIQ Edge Score
6/10
CSCO

Cisco Systems, Inc.

Leads
AIQ Score
59/100
AIQ Edge Score
7/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors CSCO over ANSS, 59 versus 56 as of Oct 22, 2026. CSCO's advantage is driven primarily by stronger value and quality, while ANSS holds the stronger risk resilience profile. 3 of 5 covered evidence groups favor CSCO today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 3 points. CSCO lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 3 points over 30 sessions.

Compare ANSYS, Inc. and Cisco Systems, Inc. across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.

Currently unavailable

Performance over time

Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes.

ANSS
+0.1%
CSCO
+122.0%

Total return comparison

Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested

ANSS $10,008 · CSCO $22,196

Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.

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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.

ANSS advantage
0
CSCO advantage
  • Risk Resilience90 vs 59
    ANSS +31
  • Value27 vs 53
    CSCO +26
  • Quality68 vs 78
    CSCO +10

3 of 5 evidence groups favor CSCO. CSCO’s edge is concentrated in value and quality; ANSS keeps a meaningful risk resilience edge.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.

ANSS0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No signal started or stopped since the prior session.

CSCO-1 AIQ

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 — ANSS 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 quality.

ANSS (ANSYS, Inc.): the counter-case, on risk resilience.

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

CSCO

CSCO on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.

Growth

CSCO

CSCO on combined revenue and EPS growth.

Value

CSCO

CSCO on the peer-relative Value factor, by 26 points.

Momentum

Even

The two are level on Momentum.

Lower downside

ANSS

ANSS on Risk Resilience, by 31 points.

Analyst upside

CSCO

CSCO 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.

MeasureANSSCSCONote
Implied upside to target+5.8%+20.5%CSCO has more room
Target dispersion0%+30.9%Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusHoldBuyContext, not a primary driver
Analysts covering113Higher coverage generally improves confidence

Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

3 of 5 covered evidence groups favor CSCO. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreEven56 vs 59
FundamentalsCSCOon balancerevenue growth -42.8% vs 8.9%; EPS growth -81.7% vs 15.3%; TTM ROE 10% vs 27.4%; gross margin 89% vs 64.5%; operating margin 28.2% vs 24.3% — CSCO takes 3 of 5 decided legs, not all of them
ValuationCSCOValue 27 vs 53
TechnicalsNot coveredNot covered
Risk ResilienceANSSRisk Resilience 90 vs 59
Analyst expectationsCSCOTarget upside 5.8% vs 20.5%

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of ANSS and CSCO and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Fragile

The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.

  • The AIQ gap is narrow at 3 points. (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 20

CSCO lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 3 points over 30 sessions.

Jun 21ANSS leads above the line · CSCO leads belowOct 20
Today
CSCO +3
56 vs 59
7 sessions ago
CSCO +6
56 vs 62
30 sessions ago
CSCO +3
56 vs 59
90 sessions ago
Level
55 vs 55

The lead changed hands 5 times in this window, most recently on Sep 2 when CSCO moved ahead of ANSS.

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.

ANSS

No active signals

No signal that the other name lacks.

CSCOConflicted

1 bullish / 1 bearish, conflicted

Only CSCO

  • Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (11.17%)
  • MACD Bearish Crossover — bearish, momentum, short horizon

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.

CSCODivergence

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.

  1. 1ANSS closes the Value gap — currently 26 points behind, the largest single contributor to CSCO's edge.
  2. 2ANSS generates a confirmed bullish trend signal it does not currently carry, such as Golden Cross Active or MACD Bullish Crossover.
  3. 3CSCO's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
  4. 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

CSCO leads on balance
MetricANSSCSCO
Revenue growth (YoY)-42.8%8.9%
EPS growth (YoY)-81.7%15.3%
Gross margin89%64.5%
Operating margin28.2%24.3%
Return on equity (TTM)10%27.4%
Debt to equity0.140.59

Performance

Split across windows
MetricANSSCSCO
1 week (5 sessions)—-7.3%
1 month (20 sessions)—0.3%
3 months (63 sessions)—-4.9%
6 months (126 sessions)—19%
Year to date—38.5%
1 year (252 sessions)—54.5%

Technicals

Split
MetricANSSCSCO
RSI (14)—48.4
ADX (14)—21.8
Price vs 50-day—-3.4%
Price vs 200-day—7%
Volatility (1M, annualized)—30.9%

Risk

ANSS is the more resilient
MetricANSSCSCO
Beta—1.1
Sharpe ratio—1.26
Sortino ratio—1.67
Max drawdown—-18.1%
Current drawdown—-17.9%
Annualized volatility—35.3%
Value at risk (95%)—-2.9%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better, ANSS or CSCO?

On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, CSCO is the stronger of the two as of Oct 22, 2026, scoring 59 against ANSS's 56. The edge comes from value and quality. ANSS is not without a case — it holds the better risk resilience 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 ANSS or CSCO the better buy right now?

CSCO carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 22, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 3 of 5 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: the AIQ gap is narrow at 3 points. Treat the lead as provisional.

Why does the AIQ Score favor CSCO over ANSS?

The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. ANSS leads Risk Resilience by 31 points; CSCO leads Value by 26 points; CSCO leads Quality by 10 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.

Which has more analyst upside, ANSS or CSCO?

Analyst price targets imply +5.8% upside for ANSS 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, ANSS or CSCO?

CSCO is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. CSCO on the peer-relative Value factor, by 26 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, ANSS or CSCO?

CSCO 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, ANSS or CSCO?

The two are level on Momentum. 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, ANSS or CSCO?

ANSS is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. ANSS on Risk Resilience, by 31 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 ANSS more profitable than CSCO?

The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 89% vs 64.5%; operating margin 28.2% vs 24.3%; ttm roe 10% vs 27.4%. ANSS 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 ANSS getting stronger or weaker?

CSCO lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 3 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-21 and 2026-10-20. The lead has changed hands 5 times in that window, most recently on 2026-09-02, when CSCO moved ahead of ANSS.

What would change the ANSS vs CSCO verdict?

The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: ANSS closes the Value gap — currently 26 points behind, the largest single contributor to CSCO's edge; ANSS generates a confirmed bullish trend signal it does not currently carry, such as Golden Cross Active or MACD Bullish Crossover; 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 ANSS and CSCO?

ANSS: No active signals. 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. On CSCO it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).

Compare ANSS 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.