Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Shares Newly Acquired by CenterStar Asset Management LLC

CenterStar Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,864 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,172,000. Cisco Systems accounts for approximately 0.3% of CenterStar Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Cisco Systems in the second quarter valued at about $6,442,000. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Cisco Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at about $60,009,000. Western Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Cisco Systems by 60.5% in the 1st quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 76,372 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,926,000 after buying an additional 28,792 shares during the last quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. bought a new position in Cisco Systems in the 2nd quarter valued at about $19,114,000. Finally, USS Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in Cisco Systems by 1.8% during the first quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 686,466 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $53,253,000 after acquiring an additional 12,251 shares during the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on CSCO shares. HSBC lowered Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $137.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Freedom Capital upgraded Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 16th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Cisco Systems from $132.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Cisco Systems in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cisco Systems currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.52.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco’s AI networking business is benefiting from rising orders from hyperscale cloud providers, supporting the view that the company could be a leading supplier of AI cloud infrastructure in fiscal 2027. Its solid earnings outlook and recent streak of earnings beats reinforce the growth thesis. Buy Cisco Systems as Leader of the AI Cloud Networking Space for 2027
• Positive Sentiment: New agentic AI offerings across Webex, workplace automation and customer experience are expanding Cisco’s software opportunity. The announcements include AI agents, a Google Meet partnership for Cisco devices, the Dialog customer-experience platform and upcoming RoomOS 27 features. Cisco unveils agentic AI tools across Webex, workplace and CX
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s average brokerage recommendation remains favorable, potentially supporting investor confidence and contributing to buying interest. However, analyst ratings can be overly optimistic and should be weighed against valuation and execution risks. Is Cisco CSCO a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco’s latest product announcements, including collaboration technologies and a post-quantum security application, broaden its technology portfolio but have yet to demonstrate a material financial contribution. Cisco Added a FIPS Validated Post Quantum Security App
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage notes that Cisco’s 90-day share-price performance has weakened after a strong year-to-date rally, suggesting momentum may be cooling. The stock’s valuation also raises concerns about how much AI-related upside is already priced in. Cisco Systems Dropped, So What Is Behind the Latest Attention?

Cisco Systems Price Performance

NASDAQ CSCO traded up $2.87 on Friday, hitting $117.76. 4,058,297 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,403,430. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $464.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.99. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.81 and a 52 week high of $130.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $112.13 and a 200-day moving average of $107.70.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.05. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.95% and a return on equity of 30.16%. The company had revenue of $17.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.84 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Analysts expect that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Friday, October 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 2nd. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, insider Jeetendra Patel sold 7,170 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total transaction of $799,956.90. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 230,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,727,261.01. The trade was a 3.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,628 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.54, for a total value of $2,412,387.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 602,710 shares in the company, valued at $67,226,273.40. The trade was a 3.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 44,869 shares of company stock worth $5,005,620 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

About Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems, Inc is a global technology company that develops networking, cybersecurity, collaboration, observability and data center solutions. Its products and services help businesses, governments, educational institutions and other organizations connect users and devices, manage infrastructure, protect digital environments and support cloud-based operations.

Cisco’s portfolio includes routers and switches, wireless networking equipment, network management software, firewalls, identity and access tools, endpoint security products, collaboration applications and observability platforms.