Home Compare CSCO vs IEX
Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

Cisco Systems vs IDEX: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Cisco Systems holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and stability adding further support. IDEX still leads on growth and valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is mixed, without a decisive signal in either direction. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

Profitability still does most of the heavy lifting in this comparison. The overall score gap is 17 points in favour of Cisco Systems, Inc..

Trajectory Similarity
0.72
Similar
Peer-set rank: #2
within Cisco Systems, Inc.'s functional peer set

This comparison is anchored in long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

A solid similarity means the pair shares a clearly comparable long-term financial profile, even if individual dimensions still differ.

The strongest overlap appears in capital structure and margin consistency.

Similarity drivers
capital structuremargin consistency
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
CSCO
Cisco Systems, Inc.
64
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
IEX
IDEX Corporation
47
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: CSCO vs IEX Profitability 81 19 Stability 69 47 Valuation 45 58 Growth 61 74 CSCO IEX
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +62
#2 Stability +22
#3 Growth +13
#4 Valuation +13
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for CSCO and IEX Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer CSCOIEX Relative valuation Structural strength

Structure clearly favours Cisco Systems, Inc., even though current pricing leans the other way.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where CSCO and IEX each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY CSCO Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 35 pct gap IEX Neutral · above norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 64th
Today IEX sits in the upper-middle of its own 5-year history (64th percentile), while CSCO sits higher in its own history (99th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, IEX is at a historically more favourable entry position than CSCO. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Cisco Systems, Inc. ranks near the top of the group on profitability; IDEX Corporation sits in the weaker half.
Stability
On stability, the edge is clear — both rank well, but Cisco Systems, Inc. sits noticeably higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
CSCO
81
IEX
19
Gap+62in favour of CSCO

Capital efficiency adds support, with a 8.7-point ROIC advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

IDEX Corporation still carries lower volatility exposure — that difference is real enough to prevent the comparison from becoming one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability is the clearest driver of the lead, with stability adding further support — though growth still provides a real counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the CSCO vs IEX comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

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Similar profitability-driven comparisons

Explore how CSCO and IEX each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.