What was Cisco's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2019?

Cisco's CAGR from 2019 to September 2026 was 15.8% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. Cisco significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.

How does Cisco compare to the S&P 500 since 2019?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2019 would be worth approximately $3,453.01 today. Cisco underperformed the S&P 500 by $332.16.

How much of the Cisco gain would you keep after taxes?

Sold today, the $2,120.85 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $2,802.72. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $2,616.09, and lower incomes pay 0%. State tax is extra, and gains inside a Roth IRA aren't taxed.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in Cisco since 2019?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2019, the real purchasing-power value of the Cisco position is approximately $2,447.86 in 2019 dollars. Inflation shrinks the gain, but the investment still grew faster than prices.

How did Cisco perform in 2019?

Cisco rose 17% during 2019, from $34.34 at the start of the year to $40.10 at the start of 2020.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Cisco in 2019?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$3,121

+$2,121 profit3.12x15.8% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $3,453

Its shares paid about $48.34 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$2,803

US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.

Compare with

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$3,120.85

Total Profit

$2,120.85

Multiplier

3.12x

CAGR

15.8%

Max Drawdown

-35.5%

Inflation-Adjusted

$2,447.86

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2019 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Cisco	$3,120.85	3.12x
S&P 500	$3,453.01	3.45x
Gold	$3,277.07	3.28x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,165.76	1.17x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 29.12 shares you'd own now paid about $48.34 in dividends (about $4.03 a month). That's 4.8% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $2,495; reinvested dividends added the other $625.42, 29% of the gain.

Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.

Back in 2019

In July 2019, Cisco agreed to buy optical networking chip supplier Acacia Communications for about $2.6 billion. sec.gov
In 2019, a gallon of gas averaged $2.60, a movie ticket averaged $9.16 and the new iPhone 11 Pro started at $999. eia.gov apple.com hollywoodreporter.com
During 2019 itself, Cisco rose 17%, #77 of the 100 investments we track. The best was Chainlink (+511%); the worst was Stellar (−60%). Full 2019 results →

$1,000 in Cisco, year by year

Of the 100 investments we track that were available at the start of 2019, Cisco ranks #51 by growth to today — just behind Gold ETF (GLD) and ahead of Mastercard. See the full 2019 ranking →

Cisco started 2019 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 14% in 2018. It has been worth more than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Today's $3,121 is more than it was worth at any January since. It rose in 5 of the 7 full years since. It has trailed the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at every January since, and still does. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Dec 2021 ($1,618) to Sep 2022 ($1,044), a drop of 35%. At its lowest month-end, in Oct 2020, it was worth $890.39.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2019	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2020	$1,168	+17%	$1,315
Start of 2021	$1,098	−6.0%	$1,557
Start of 2022	$1,610	+47%	$2,004
Start of 2023	$1,260	−22%	$1,641
Start of 2024	$1,369	+8.6%	$2,072
Start of 2025	$1,654	+21%	$2,591
Start of 2026	$2,194	+33%	$3,054
Today	$3,121	+42%	$3,453

Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.

Historical Context

At the start of 2019, Cisco was priced at $34.34 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 29.12 shares. Cisco makes networking equipment such as routers and switches.

Measured from one January to the next, Cisco's best year since then was 2021 (+47%) and its worst was 2022 (−22%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2022 and the start of 2023, the position fell 22% from its high.

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in Cisco at the start of 2019 would be worth approximately $3,120.85 today — a 3.12x return ($2,120.85 profit) over 7.7 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the closing price on the first trading day of each year, adjusted for splits and dividends (so returns assume dividends were reinvested), from Yahoo Finance and MacroTrends. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2019 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.

Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2019 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.

Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.

Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.