Which is better, CSCO or FTNT?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Fortinet, Inc. (FTNT) currently grades higher than CSCO — 83/100 (A grade) vs 66/100 (B). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — CSCO wins on none; FTNT wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy CSCO or FTNT?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both CSCO and FTNT are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is CSCO better than FTNT for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, FTNT currently grades higher — 83/100 vs 66/100, a 17-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between CSCO and FTNT on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). CSCO currently scores 66/100 (B grade); FTNT scores 83/100 (A grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, CSCO or FTNT?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. CSCO and FTNT are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, CSCO or FTNT?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are CSCO and FTNT both Technology stocks?

Yes — both Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) and Fortinet, Inc. (FTNT) operate in the Technology sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this CSCO vs FTNT comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

Cisco

CSCO$474.59BTechnology Market cap, Sector

Fortinet

FTNT$98.12BTechnology Market cap, Sector

Overall winner

Fortinet

CSCO 07 FTNT

Fit scores by strategy

CSCO0wins

7winsFTNT

Warren Buffett

66C

B83

Benjamin Graham

78B

B82

Philip Fisher

60C

A95

Peter Lynch

57D

B75

Joel Greenblatt

58D

B79

Charlie Munger

70B

B82

Terry Smith

64C

A87

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	CSCO	FTNT
Market cap	Winner: $474.59B	$98.12B
P/E (TTM)	Winner: 38.2x	46.4x
EV/EBIT	Winner: 40.9x	42.4x
ROIC (TTM)

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

CSCO leads on

Dividend yield1.43%vs 0.0%+100%
Market cap$474.59Bvs $98.12B+79%
P/E (TTM)38.2xvs 46.4x+18%

FTNT leads on

EPS CAGR 5y34.75%vs 0.49%+99%

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Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.

Industries

Rankings

Glossary

Tools & Methodology

Cisco

Fortinet

Fit scores by strategy

Side-by-side metrics

Where each one wins

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Key terms in this analysis