FSLY vs. CSCO

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Fastly, Inc. (FSLY) and Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO).

Performance

FSLY vs. CSCO - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Fastly, Inc. (FSLY) and Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

FSLY vs. CSCO - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
FSLY Fastly, Inc.	185.46%	7.84%	-46.97%	117.34%	-76.90%	-59.43%	335.33%	-16.34%
CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.	1.27%	33.47%	21.00%	9.30%	-22.46%	45.76%	-3.49%	-13.70%

Fundamentals

Market Cap FSLY : $4.37B CSCO : $309.35B
EPS FSLY : -$0.82 CSCO : $2.77
PS Ratio FSLY : 6.90 CSCO : 5.25
PB Ratio FSLY : 4.70 CSCO : 6.48
Total Revenue (TTM) FSLY : $624.02M CSCO : $59.05B
Gross Profit (TTM) FSLY : $351.40M CSCO : $38.28B
EBITDA (TTM) FSLY : -$39.96M CSCO : $14.30B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, FSLY achieves a 185.46% return, which is significantly higher than CSCO's 1.27% return.

FSLY

• 1D: 13.87%
• 1M: 51.99%
• YTD: 185.46%
• 6M: 239.88%
• 1Y: 359.08%
• 3Y*: 17.84%
• 5Y*: -16.20%
• 10Y*: —

CSCO

• 1D: 0.71%
• 1M: -2.35%
• YTD: 1.27%
• 6M: 14.70%
• 1Y: 28.79%
• 3Y*: 17.35%
• 5Y*: 11.52%
• 10Y*: 13.89%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

FSLY vs. CSCO — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

FSLY

FSLY Risk / Return Rank: 98
FSLY Sharpe Ratio Rank: 98
FSLY Sortino Ratio Rank: 99
FSLY Omega Ratio Rank: 97
FSLY Calmar Ratio Rank: 98
FSLY Martin Ratio Rank: 98

CSCO

CSCO Risk / Return Rank: 75
CSCO Sharpe Ratio Rank: 77
CSCO Sortino Ratio Rank: 67
CSCO Omega Ratio Rank: 72
CSCO Calmar Ratio Rank: 81
CSCO Martin Ratio Rank: 80

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

FSLY vs. CSCO - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Fastly, Inc. (FSLY) and Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	FSLY	CSCO	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	3.37	1.03	+2.34
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	4.94	1.44	+3.50
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.58	1.22	+0.36
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	9.76	2.25	+7.51
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	25.25	5.80	+19.46
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

FSLY vs. CSCO - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current FSLY Sharpe Ratio is 3.37, which is higher than the CSCO Sharpe Ratio of 1.03. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of FSLY and CSCO, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	FSLY	CSCO	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	3.37	1.03	+2.34
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.19	0.50	-0.69
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.55	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.03	0.57	-0.54

Correlation

The correlation between FSLY and CSCO is 0.28, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

FSLY vs. CSCO - Dividend Comparison

FSLY has not paid dividends to shareholders, while CSCO's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.11%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
FSLY Fastly, Inc.	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.	2.11%	2.12%	2.69%	3.07%	3.17%	2.32%	3.20%	2.88%	2.95%	2.95%	3.28%	3.02%

Drawdowns

FSLY vs. CSCO - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum FSLY drawdown since its inception was -96.12%, which is greater than CSCO's maximum drawdown of -89.26%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for FSLY and CSCO.

Drawdown Indicators

	FSLY	CSCO	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-96.12%	-89.26%	-6.86%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-35.49%	-13.57%	-21.92%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-93.05%	-36.68%	-56.37%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-41.95%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-77.44%	-10.59%	-66.85%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-69.85%	-40.33%	-29.52%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	13.72%	5.28%	+8.44%

Volatility

FSLY vs. CSCO - Volatility Comparison

Fastly, Inc. (FSLY) has a higher volatility of 28.89% compared to Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) at 8.22%. This indicates that FSLY's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than CSCO based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	FSLY	CSCO	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	28.89%	8.22%	+20.67%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	78.55%	21.41%	+57.14%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	107.33%	28.03%	+79.30%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	84.47%	23.34%	+61.13%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	87.39%	25.19%	+62.20%

Financials

FSLY vs. CSCO - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Fastly, Inc. and Cisco Systems, Inc. over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

FSLY - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Fastly, Inc. reported a gross profit of 105.96M and revenue of 172.61M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 61.4%.

CSCO - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Cisco Systems, Inc. reported a gross profit of 9.97B and revenue of 15.35B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 65.0%.

FSLY - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Fastly, Inc. reported an operating income of -15.09M and revenue of 172.61M, resulting in an operating margin of -8.7%.

CSCO - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Cisco Systems, Inc. reported an operating income of 3.78B and revenue of 15.35B, resulting in an operating margin of 24.6%.

FSLY - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Fastly, Inc. reported a net income of -15.51M and revenue of 172.61M, resulting in a net margin of -9.0%.

CSCO - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Cisco Systems, Inc. reported a net income of 3.18B and revenue of 15.35B, resulting in a net margin of 20.7%.