F5 Inc's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of F5 Inc (FFIV) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: F5 Inc vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 3,309M vs 836,822M combined for its competitors (0.4% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+4.6% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs accelerating (+7.7%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: F5 Inc generated 10.9% revenue growth year over year in Q3 2026, vs 15.0% for its competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 24.1% net margin compares with 25.3% for the peer group.
- Scale: F5 Inc ranks #3 of 15 companies by market capitalization in the Computer Networks industry, holding 2.9% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: F5 Inc accounted for 0.4% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, down from 0.4% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.50M compares with $0.76M for the peer group (0.7x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
FFIV Sales vs. its Competitors, Q3 2026
F5 Inc reported revenue growth of 10.94 % year on year in Q3 2026, below its competitors' combined revenue growth of 14.95 %.
With a net margin of 24.07 %, F5 Inc reported lower profitability than its competitors (25.26 %).
F5 Inc generated 0.38 % of the combined sales of its peer group, down from 0.40 % a year earlier.
F5 Inc vs. its Competitors, Q3 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net income growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in F5 Inc reports; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across F5 Inc and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| F5 Inc | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (13) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (6) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across F5 Inc's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Computer Networks industry grew revenue 19.6% year over year, combined, vs 10.9% for F5 Inc. F5 Inc's share of combined industry revenue moved from 3.55% to 3.29%, a loss of 0.26 percentage points.
F5 Inc's Competitor Quality Breadth
Group definitions: see Methodology: Performance Group Definitions.
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F5 Inc | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (36) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (20) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (7) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
FFIV Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
FFIV Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
FFIV Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maxlinear Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Lumentum Holdings Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Fastly Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Okta Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Advanced Micro Devices Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for F5 Inc's best-performing competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
F5 Inc's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of F5 Inc
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
 F5 Inc |
19,057.68 | 3,308.77 |
 Microsoft Corporation |
3,879,291.54 | 346,445.00 |
 Broadcom Inc |
1,623,119.31 | 89,104.00 |
 Advanced Micro Devices Inc |
802,790.10 | 40,524.00 |
 Cisco Systems Inc |
410,541.39 | 63,325.00 |
 Oracle Corporation |
378,630.00 | 73,266.00 |
| SUBTOTAL | 8,379,582.91 | 855,915.22 |
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Sources: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on F5 Inc versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
F5 Inc's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from F5 Inc reports and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Juniper Networks Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Cloudflare Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Fortinet Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Fastly Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Broadcom | Company report | 85% |
| Radware | Company report | 85% |
| A10 Networks Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Google Cloud Platform | Company report | 85% |
| Broadcom | Company report | 85% |
| Amazon Web Services | Company report | 85% |
| HAProxy | Company report | 85% |
| Thales | Company report | 85% |
| Cisco | Company report | 85% |
| Akamai | Company report | 85% |
| Envoy | Company report | 85% |
| Imperva | Company report | 85% |
| Palo Alto | Company report | 85% |
| Citrix | Company report | 85% |
| Amazon Web Services ("AWS") | Company report | 85% |
| Microsoft Azure | Company report | 85% |
| VMware | Company report | 85% |
| Kong | Company report | 85% |
| Symantec/Blue Coat | Company report | 85% |
| PerimeterX | Company report | 85% |
| Kemp Technologies | Company report | 85% |
| Apogee | Company report | 85% |
| Qualys Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Array Networks | Company report | 85% |
| Barracuda Networks | Company report | 85% |
| Gemaxel Inc formerly Known As Worlds Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Oracle Corporation | Company report | 85% |
| Okta Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Motorola Solutions inc | Company report | 85% |
| International Business Machines Corporation | Company report | 85% |
| Adtran Holdings Inc | Company report | 85% |
Company report basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for F5 Inc's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
F5 Inc's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Corporation | Agents and Infra 83.22 % |
| Broadcom Inc | Semiconductor Solutions 64.81 % |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc | Data Center 57.80 % |
| Cisco Systems Inc | Americas 60.41 % |
| Oracle Corporation | Cloud and Software Business 83.96 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
F5 Inc's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| F5 Inc | 19,058 | 503,005 | 110,445 |
| Microsoft Corporation | 3,879,292 | 1,553,565 | 639,601 |
| Broadcom Inc | 1,623,119 | 2,700,121 | 1,159,545 |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc | 802,790 | 1,307,226 | 207,548 |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 410,541 | 768,507 | 161,007 |
| Oracle Corporation | 378,630 | 519,617 | 134,184 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 8,360,525 | 761,749 | 212,906 |
F5 Inc's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent report. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| F5 Inc | United States 47.40 % |
| Microsoft Corporation | US 53.60 % |
| Broadcom Inc | Asia Pacific 60.15 % |
| Oracle Corporation | Americas 63.46 % |
| International Business Machines Corporation | Americas 50.14 % |
| Salesforce Inc | Americas 64.97 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
F5 Inc's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 15 companies in F5 Inc's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.F5 Inc ranks #3 of 15 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 2.91 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 5,033, indicating a highly concentrated market structure (see Methodology: Market Structure & Concentration).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cisco Systems Inc | 410,541 | 62.68 % |
| 2 | Arista Networks inc | 216,805 | 33.10 % |
| 3 | F5 Inc | 19,058 | 2.91 % |
| 4 | Extreme Networks Inc | 3,079 | 0.47 % |
| 5 | Digi International Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | A10 Networks Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Allot Ltd | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Lantronix Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Silicom Ltd | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Bos Better Online Solutions Ltd | 1,234 | 5.2% |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of F5 Inc's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-11-03.
F5 Inc's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cisco Systems Inc | 410,541 | 40.56 % |
| 2 | Arista Networks inc | 216,805 | 8.05 % |
| 3 | F5 Inc | 19,058 | 29.96 % |
| 4 | Extreme Networks Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 5 | Digi International Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 6 | A10 Networks Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 7 | Allot Ltd | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 8 | Lantronix Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of F5 Inc's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-11-03. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
F5 Inc's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Computer Networks industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (36 companies). See the full Computer Networks industry profitability benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 0.82 % | 7.73 % (avg) | -6.9 pp |
| Operating Margin | 0.25 % | industry median | 0.0 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 0.28 % | -3.07 % (avg) | +3.3 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | - | 3.99 % (avg) | - |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
F5 Inc's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Computer Networks industry average (36 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns. See the full Computer Networks industry valuation benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 28.3x | 41.9x | -13.6x |
| EV / EBITDA | 17.9x | 22.1x | -4.2x |
| P/B | 5.6x | 4.3x | +1.3x |
| Return on Equity | 0.20 % | industry aggregate | -27.22 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | - | -1.23 % (avg) | - |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
F5 Inc's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in company reports.| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 4.04 % | 3.94 % | 6.09 % | 10.80 % | 1.62 % | 3.53 % | 3.01 % | 8.78 % |
| Operating Margin | 27.82 % | 21.28 % | 16.11 % | 14.65 % | 14.06 % | 19.46 % | 24.20 % | 24.66 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 20.49 % | 12.21 % | 6.61 % | 6.29 % | 6.40 % | 8.89 % | 10.32 % | 9.96 % |
| P/E | 20.6x | 21.4x | 36.1x | 42.1x | 29.5x | 21.3x | 23.8x | 22.3x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
F5 Inc's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
See Methodology: BCG Growth-Share Matrix for how relative share and growth are calculated and thresholded.
F5 Inc falls in the Dog quadrant: relative market share of 0.05x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue -0.6% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution. A caveat worth reading alongside this chart: Cisco Systems Inc alone holds 63% of this industry's market cap. In an industry this dominated by one leader, the framework will place nearly every OTHER company in "Dog" or "Question Mark" purely because relative share is measured against that leader, regardless of how strong those other companies actually are on their own fundamentals. Check the Profitability, Valuation and Financial Strength sections above before treating this quadrant label as a verdict.
F5 Inc's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | Low | Industry HHI of 5,033 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
Note: see Methodology: Porter's Five Forces. Supplier power and buyer power are covered on F5 Inc's dedicated Suppliers and Customers pages, not here.
F5 Inc's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
See Methodology: GE/McKinsey Matrix for how the two axes are built.
F5 Inc falls in the Medium attractiveness / Low strength cell: Harvest.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
F5 Inc's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+4.6% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
- Outperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
Weaknesses
- Return on equity 27.2 points below the industry aggregate.
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.05x).
Opportunities
No rule matched.
Threats
- Industry dominated by Cisco Systems Inc , holding 62.68 % of industry market cap.
Methodology: see Methodology: SWOT Analysis.
F5 Inc's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| F5 Inc | 0.86 | 1.60 | - |
| Microsoft Corporation | 0.16 | 1.27 | 0.10 |
| Broadcom Inc | 0.99 | 2.05 | 0.75 |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc | 0.48 | 2.61 | 0.05 |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 0.25 | 0.94 | 0.63 |
| Oracle Corporation | 0.72 | 1.12 | 2.83 |
Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
F5 Inc's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| F5 Inc | Q2 2026 | +10.9 % | +9.6 % |
| Microsoft Corporation | Q3 2026 | +18.8 % | +32.0 % |
| Broadcom Inc | Q2 2026 | +85.5 % | +216.1 % |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc | Q2 2026 | +55.4 % | +163.4 % |
| Cisco Systems Inc | Q2 2026 | +17.6 % | +51.3 % |
| Oracle Corporation | Q3 2026 | +24.0 % | +62.6 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | +23.9 % | +52.8 % |
Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
F5 Inc's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| F5 Inc | Q2 2026 | +3.8 % | +317.2 % |
| Microsoft Corporation | Q3 2026 | +23.6 % | +103.0 % |
| Broadcom Inc | Q2 2026 | +74.0 % | +274.6 % |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc | Q2 2026 | +138.3 % | +186.5 % |
| Cisco Systems Inc | Q2 2026 | +14.8 % | +79.7 % |
| Oracle Corporation | Q3 2026 | - | +235.2 % |
F5 Inc's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| F5 Inc | 11.19% | 15.14% | 19.78% |
| Microsoft Corporation | 20.01% | 23.87% | 34.15% |
| Broadcom Inc | 21.57% | 24.07% | 43.74% |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc | 8.10% | 9.43% | 10.07% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 10.64% | 11.94% | 27.52% |
| Oracle Corporation | 7.73% | 9.84% | 44.45% |
ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
F5 Inc's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| F5 Inc | 26.39 | 5.76 |
| Microsoft Corporation | 27.21 | 11.20 |
| Broadcom Inc | 42.31 | 18.22 |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc | 124.40 | 19.81 |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 30.83 | 6.48 |
| Oracle Corporation | 19.78 | 5.17 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 35.06 | 9.79 |
P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.