Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Upgraded by Freedom Capital to “Strong-Buy” Rating

Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Sunday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. New Street Research lifted their target price on Cisco Systems from $82.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Cisco Systems from $132.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Cisco Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.43.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of CSCO stock opened at $112.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $444.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.02. Cisco Systems has a 12-month low of $65.75 and a 12-month high of $130.37. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $116.81 and a 200-day moving average of $99.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $17.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.84 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.95% and a return on equity of 30.16%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. Cisco Systems has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.050-5.110 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.320-1.340 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Cisco Systems will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 2nd will be given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 2nd. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.30%.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In related news, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 6,487 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.53, for a total transaction of $723,495.11. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 167,116 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,638,447.48. This trade represents a 3.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 2,760 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.46, for a total transaction of $310,389.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 165,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,586,938.96. This represents a 1.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 69,179 shares of company stock worth $7,985,229. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cisco Systems

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CSCO. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Networth Advisors LLC grew its position in Cisco Systems by 276.4% during the 1st quarter. Networth Advisors LLC now owns 335 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Cisco Systems in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 137.0% during the first quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Key Cisco Systems News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco reported record quarterly revenue of approximately $17.3 billion, up 18% year over year, while earnings per share of $1.22 exceeded the $1.17 consensus estimate. Management also issued an optimistic fiscal 2027 EPS outlook of $5.05 to $5.11, reinforcing the company’s AI-networking growth story. What Kept Coming Up When Analysts Grilled CSCO
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts viewed the post-earnings selloff as an overreaction, citing Cisco’s strong execution and improving opportunity in AI infrastructure. Wells Fargo also raised its price target to $150 and maintained an overweight rating, while the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with a target near $129.43. Cisco Selloff Looks Like an Overreaction
• Neutral Sentiment: Higher hardware prices and a heavier product mix helped accelerate revenue, but rising memory costs and the larger hardware contribution pressured product margins. Investors are watching whether Cisco can continue passing costs to customers without weakening demand. Cisco Grew Faster by Selling Hardware and Charging More for It
• Negative Sentiment: HSBC cut Cisco Systems to a Hold rating, adding to concerns about valuation and the durability of the recent growth acceleration. Cisco Systems Cut to Hold at HSBC
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Charles Robbins and three other insiders sold a combined 48,045 shares for approximately $4.25 million. The transactions were conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, and the executives retained substantial positions, making this a modest negative signal rather than clear evidence of deteriorating business expectations. Cisco Insider Buying and Selling

Cisco Systems Company Profile

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.