Cisco vs Morgan Stanley: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Cisco reported $63.3B of revenue in FY2026 and $13.3B of net income. Morgan Stanley reported $70.6B of revenue in FY2025 and $16.9B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Cisco
- Latest revenue
- $63.3B (FY2026)
- Net income
- $13.3B
- Net margin
- 21.0%
- Revenue growth
- +3.1% a year, FY2017–FY2026
Morgan Stanley
- Latest revenue
- $70.6B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $16.9B
- Net margin
- 23.9%
- Revenue growth
- +8.2% a year, FY2016–FY2025
Financial summary
Cisco
Cisco's revenue fell 5.6% to $53.8 billion in FY2024 as customers worked through excess inventory, then recovered to $56.7 billion in FY2025 and a record $63.3 billion in FY2026 (up 12%). FY2026 GAAP net income was about $13.3 billion, GAAP EPS was $3.33 (up 31%), and non-GAAP EPS was $4.33. Growth accelerated through the year: Q4 FY2026 revenue was $17.3 billion, up 18%, with product revenue up 24% and total product orders up 35%. Cisco said it recognized about $4 billion of AI infrastructure revenue from hyperscalers in FY2026 and expects about $7.5 billion in FY2027, within total FY2027 revenue guidance of $72.2-73.4 billion. The company also pays a quarterly dividend and buys back stock.
Morgan Stanley
Net revenues rose from $34.6B in 2016 to $70.6B in 2025, with net income reaching $16.9B in 2025. Under James Gorman (CEO 2010-2023) the firm added Smith Barney, E*TRADE, and Eaton Vance to build recurring fee revenue. Under Ted Pick, results accelerated: Q2 2026 net revenue of $21.35B was up 27% year over year, net income of $5.58B was up 58%, and first-half 2026 revenue was about $42B with ROTCE near 27%.
Revenue and profit by year
Cisco
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | $63.3B | $13.3B | 21.0% | +11.8% | Source |
| FY2025 | $56.7B | $10.2B | 18.0% | +5.3% | Source |
| FY2024 | $53.8B | $10.3B | 19.2% | -5.6% | Source |
| FY2023 | $57B | $12.6B | 22.1% | +10.6% | Source |
| FY2022 | $51.6B | $11.8B | 22.9% | +3.5% | Source |
| FY2021 | $49.8B | $10.6B | 21.3% | +1.0% | Source |
| FY2020 | $49.3B | $11.2B | 22.7% | -5.0% | Source |
| FY2019 | $51.9B | $11.6B | 22.4% | +5.2% | Source |
| FY2018 | $49.3B | $110M | 0.2% | +2.8% | Source |
| FY2017 | $48B | $9.6B | 20.0% | — | Source |
Morgan Stanley
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $70.6B | $16.9B | 23.9% | +14.4% | Source |
| FY2024 | $61.8B | $13.4B | 21.7% | +14.1% | Source |
| FY2023 | $54.1B | $9.1B | 16.8% | +0.9% | Source |
| FY2022 | $53.7B | $11B | 20.6% | -10.2% | Source |
| FY2021 | $59.8B | $15B | 25.2% | +22.6% | Source |
| FY2020 | $48.8B | $11B | 22.6% | +17.4% | Source |
| FY2019 | $41.5B | $9B | 21.8% | +3.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | $40.1B | $8.7B | 21.8% | +5.7% | Source |
| FY2017 | $37.9B | $6.1B | 16.1% | +9.6% | Source |
| FY2016 | $34.6B | $6B | 17.3% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Cisco
- Secure, Agile Networks (Networking)~49%
Enterprise switching, routing, and wireless products including Catalyst, Nexus, and Meraki platforms. Cisco's largest and most established segment.
- Security~11%
Cybersecurity products including firewalls, zero-trust solutions, XDR, and the Splunk observability platform acquired in 2024 for $28 billion.
- Collaboration~9%
Webex video conferencing, unified communications, contact center solutions, and collaboration devices for hybrid work environments.
- Observability~8%
Full-stack observability including AppDynamics, ThousandEyes, and Splunk's SIEM/observability capabilities for monitoring application and network performance.
- Services~23%
Technical support, advisory services, and implementation services tied to Cisco's hardware and software portfolio. High-margin recurring revenue stream.
Morgan Stanley
- Institutional Securities
Not formally reported
Advisory, underwriting, sales and trading, prime brokerage, lending, and capital markets services.
- Wealth Management
Not formally reported
Advisor fees, brokerage commissions, net interest income, lending, deposits, E*TRADE, and workplace services.
- Investment Management
Not formally reported
Asset-management fees from institutional and individual investors, including Eaton Vance and Parametric products.
- Banking and lending
Not formally reported
Net interest income and lending products connected to wealth and institutional clients.
Business model and strategy
Cisco
How it makes money
Cisco makes money in two ways: product sales and services. Products (switches, routers, wireless, Silicon One-based data center and AI networking gear, firewalls, Splunk and other security and observability software, and Webex) made up about $13.5 billion of the $17.3 billion Q4 FY2026 revenue, while services (technical support, advisory, and maintenance contracts) contributed about $3.8 billion.
Growth strategy
Cisco's growth plan rests on three areas. First, AI infrastructure: Silicon One chips, Nexus and Cisco 8000 systems, and optics sold to hyperscalers and, increasingly, to neoclouds, sovereign AI projects, and enterprises building their own AI clusters. Second, campus and branch refresh, as enterprises upgrade switching and Wi-Fi for AI workloads.
Competitive advantage
Cisco's advantage is how deeply its equipment is built into corporate networks. The saying in IT is that 'nobody ever got fired for buying Cisco': large banks and other enterprises choose it for reliability. Replacing an integrated Cisco network with cheaper hardware is a multi-year project with real risk, so most CIOs stay, which gives Cisco a durable installed base.
Morgan Stanley
How it makes money
Morgan Stanley reports three segments. Institutional Securities earns advisory and underwriting fees, equity and fixed-income trading revenue, prime brokerage financing, and corporate lending income. Wealth Management earns asset-based advisory fees, brokerage commissions, and net interest income on client deposits and loans across its advisor network, E*TRADE, and Morgan Stanley at Work.
Growth strategy
The strategy is to grow client assets across the wealth and investment management franchise, use Morgan Stanley at Work and E*TRADE as feeders into advisor-led accounts, and keep share in equities, advisory, and underwriting. The firm also deploys AI tools for advisors, including assistants built with OpenAI.
Competitive advantage
Morgan Stanley's edge is the combination of a leading equities and advisory franchise with one of the largest wealth platforms in the US. Workplace stock plans and E*TRADE bring in employees and self-directed investors early, and advisor-led wealth management retains them as their assets grow. That mix of fee-based wealth revenue and cyclical Wall Street revenue gives it steadier earnings than a pure investment bank.
Questions about Cisco vs Morgan Stanley
Which company has higher revenue — Cisco Systems, Inc. or Morgan Stanley?
Cisco Systems, Inc. reported $63.3B (FY2026), while Morgan Stanley reported $70.6B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Morgan Stanley is the larger business, with Cisco Systems, Inc. reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
What is the market cap of Cisco Systems, Inc. vs Morgan Stanley?
Cisco Systems, Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $420.7B, while Morgan Stanley's is $330.9B. Cisco Systems, Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Morgan Stanley.
Which is more financially efficient — Cisco Systems, Inc. or Morgan Stanley?
Cisco Systems, Inc. generates $769k / employee in revenue per employee, while Morgan Stanley generates $851k / employee. Morgan Stanley shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do Cisco Systems, Inc. and Morgan Stanley make money?
Cisco Systems, Inc. and Morgan Stanley generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Cisco Systems, Inc.: Cisco makes money in two ways: product sales and services. Morgan Stanley: Morgan Stanley reports three segments.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Cisco Systems, Inc. or Morgan Stanley?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Cisco Systems, Inc. trades at 6.6x P/S and Morgan Stanley at 4.7x P/S. Cisco Systems, Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Morgan Stanley. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Cisco Systems, Inc. bigger than Morgan Stanley?
By last reported revenue, Morgan Stanley ($70.6B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Cisco Systems, Inc. ($63.3B (FY2026)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Cisco vs Morgan Stanley overview