GEN vs. CSCO

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Gen Digital Inc. (GEN) and Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO).

Performance

GEN vs. CSCO - Performance Comparison

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

GEN vs. CSCO - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
GEN Gen Digital Inc.	-30.38%	1.06%	22.41%	9.29%	-15.81%	27.59%	44.36%	37.17%	-31.76%	18.69%
CSCO Cisco Systems, Inc.	1.27%	33.47%	21.00%	9.30%	-22.46%	45.76%	-3.49%	13.81%	16.57%	31.27%

Fundamentals

Market Cap GEN : $11.71B CSCO : $309.35B
EPS GEN : $0.97 CSCO : $2.77
PE Ratio GEN : 19.46 CSCO : 27.98
PEG Ratio GEN : 1.36 CSCO : 23.48
PS Ratio GEN : 2.48 CSCO : 5.25
PB Ratio GEN : 5.02 CSCO : 6.48
Total Revenue (TTM) GEN : $4.73B CSCO : $59.05B
Gross Profit (TTM) GEN : $3.73B CSCO : $38.28B
EBITDA (TTM) GEN : $929.00M CSCO : $14.30B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, GEN achieves a -30.38% return, which is significantly lower than CSCO's 1.27% return. Over the past 10 years, GEN has underperformed CSCO with an annualized return of 7.84%, while CSCO has yielded a comparatively higher 13.89% annualized return.

GEN

• 1D: 2.78%
• 1M: -16.57%
• YTD: -30.38%
• 6M: -33.01%
• 1Y: -27.74%
• 3Y*: 5.33%
• 5Y*: -0.51%
• 10Y*: 7.84%

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

GEN vs. CSCO — Risk / Return Rank

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

GEN

GEN Risk / Return Rank: 10
GEN Sharpe Ratio Rank: 7
GEN Sortino Ratio Rank: 8
GEN Omega Ratio Rank: 9
GEN Calmar Ratio Rank: 20
GEN Martin Ratio Rank: 6

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.

GEN vs. CSCO - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Gen Digital Inc. (GEN) 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.

	GEN	CSCO	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.90	1.03	-1.93
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	-1.26	1.44	-2.69
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	0.85	1.22	-0.37
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.65	2.25	-2.90
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-1.66	5.80	-7.46
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

GEN vs. CSCO - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current GEN Sharpe Ratio is -0.90, which is lower than the CSCO Sharpe Ratio of 1.03. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of GEN 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

	GEN	CSCO	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.90	1.03	-1.93
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.02	0.50	-0.51
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.24	0.55	-0.31
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.22	0.57	-0.35

Correlation

The correlation between GEN and CSCO is 0.38, 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

GEN vs. CSCO - Dividend Comparison

GEN's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.66%, more than CSCO's 2.11% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
GEN Gen Digital Inc.	2.66%	1.84%	1.83%	2.19%	2.33%	1.92%	60.15%	1.37%	1.59%	1.07%	18.31%	2.86%
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

GEN vs. CSCO - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum GEN drawdown since its inception was -87.75%, roughly equal to the maximum CSCO drawdown of -89.26%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for GEN and CSCO.

Drawdown Indicators

	GEN	CSCO	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-87.75%	-89.26%	+1.51%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-42.23%	-13.57%	-28.66%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-48.41%	-36.68%	-11.73%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-48.41%	-41.95%	-6.46%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-40.62%	-10.59%	-30.03%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-34.30%	-40.33%	+6.03%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	16.50%	5.28%	+11.22%

Volatility

GEN vs. CSCO - Volatility Comparison

Gen Digital Inc. (GEN) has a higher volatility of 9.64% compared to Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) at 8.22%. This indicates that GEN'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

	GEN	CSCO	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	9.64%	8.22%	+1.42%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	21.14%	21.41%	-0.27%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	30.98%	28.03%	+2.95%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	30.66%	23.34%	+7.32%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	32.69%	25.19%	+7.50%

Financials

GEN vs. CSCO - Profitability Comparison

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

GEN - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Gen Digital Inc. reported a gross profit of 972.00M and revenue of 1.24B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 78.4%.

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%.

GEN - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Gen Digital Inc. reported an operating income of 433.00M and revenue of 1.24B, resulting in an operating margin of 34.9%.

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%.

GEN - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Gen Digital Inc. reported a net income of 192.00M and revenue of 1.24B, resulting in a net margin of 15.5%.

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%.