Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Trading 3.2% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)’s share price shot up 3.2% during trading on Monday after Evercore ISI upgraded the stock from an in-line rating to an outperform rating. Evercore ISI now has a $100.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $80.00. Cisco Systems traded as high as $77.42 and last traded at $77.01. 24,567,544 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 31% from the average session volume of 18,691,336 shares. The stock had previously closed at $74.59.

CSCO has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Citic Securities increased their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $75.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Cisco Systems from $70.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Cisco Systems from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.81.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 116,734 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.30, for a total transaction of $9,023,538.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 704,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $54,431,026.90. The trade was a 14.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Kristina M. Johnson sold 13,481 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.13, for a total transaction of $1,039,789.53. Following the sale, the director directly owned 61,630 shares in the company, valued at $4,753,521.90. This trade represents a 17.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,044,865 shares of company stock valued at $81,397,635. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Cisco Systems News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Cisco Systems this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI upgraded CSCO from “in-line” to “outperform” and raised its price target to $100 (from $80), implying roughly 30% upside; Evercore cited AI revenue potential as a driver. Cisco rises after rating upgrade at Evercore
• Positive Sentiment: Headline coverage frames the Evercore move as a meaningful re‑rating and calls Cisco a “big‑cap bargain,” helping push sentiment and demand into the stock. Cisco stock rises on upgrade. It’s a big-cap bargain, analyst says.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts are lifting price targets and coverage (TipRanks roundup), reinforcing the momentum from the Evercore call and supporting analyst‑driven buying interest. Cisco Systems Trending as Analysts Lift Targets
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco published new AI‑era initiatives: the Cisco 360 Partner Program (to accelerate AI outcomes with partners) and a report showing robust enterprise investment in privacy/governance for AI — both strengthen Cisco’s go‑to‑market narrative around AI and services. Cisco Launches New Cisco 360 Partner Program, Built with Partners for the AI Era
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market research‑call roundups (24/7 Wall St.) list Cisco among notable analyst actions today — useful for context but less directly catalytic than the Evercore upgrade or company product announcements. Here Are Monday’s Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Northstar Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Cisco Systems by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Northstar Advisory Group LLC now owns 8,203 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $632,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. raised its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 15,917 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Green Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Green Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 12,349 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $951,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Cisco Systems by 1.4% in the third quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,449 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $715,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY increased its stake in Cisco Systems by 0.6% during the third quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 24,622 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $1,685,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 3.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.78. The company has a market capitalization of $304.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.95, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.87.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.02. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 27.29% and a net margin of 18.38%.The firm had revenue of $14.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.77 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.91 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Cisco Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.080-4.140 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.010-1.030 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.04 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.65%.

About Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems, Inc is a global technology company that designs, manufactures and sells networking hardware, software and telecommunications equipment. Its core business focuses on enabling enterprise and service-provider networks through products such as routers, switches, network security appliances and wireless systems. Over time Cisco has broadened its portfolio to emphasize software-defined networking, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure and edge computing solutions that help organizations build and manage modern IT environments.

In addition to hardware, Cisco offers a growing range of software platforms and subscription services for network management, security, analytics and collaboration.