Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $89.55.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group raised their price objective on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup upped their target price on Cisco Systems from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. CICC Research increased their target price on Cisco Systems from $84.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, President Capital cut their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $88.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

NASDAQ CSCO opened at $77.65 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $306.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.87. Cisco Systems has a 12-month low of $52.11 and a 12-month high of $88.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $78.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $74.88.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.02. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 19.22% and a return on equity of 27.88%. The company had revenue of $15.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.11 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems will post 3.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. This is a boost from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.54%.

Cisco Systems News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco launched a 10‑year “40 Communities” program to improve emergency connectivity, disaster response networks and local digital/cyber skills — a long‑term CSR/market‑development initiative that can lead to public‑sector contracts and steady demand for networking/security products. Cisco Community Push Puts 40 Communities Initiative In Investor Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/sector commentary (Goldman) highlights AI, cybersecurity and infrastructure as winners — a thematic tailwind for Cisco’s routing, switching and security franchises as enterprise and cloud customers spend on AI‑ready networks. The AI Payoff Is the ‘Biggest Question’ for U.S. Investors, Says Goldman’s Snider
• Positive Sentiment: Technical commentary suggests Cisco could clear overhead resistance — if price momentum follows, that can draw momentum buyers and short‑covering. Blue‑Chip Tech Stock Could Topple Overhead Resistance
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data for March appear anomalous/zero — no meaningful short position to drive a short squeeze or large covering flows in the near term.
• Neutral Sentiment: Supplier/supply‑chain coverage (Jabil) and sector pieces underline stronger demand in AI/infrastructure, which indirectly supports Cisco but doesn’t alter Cisco’s near‑term fundamentals on its own. Jabil Quietly Manufactures an Accelerating Stock Price Rally
• Neutral Sentiment: Note that Cisco’s recent price weakness has partly tracked the Nasdaq, indicating some index/market pressure rather than company‑specific deterioration. Price Decline Meets Nasdaq Composite Trends
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: two executive VPs disclosed recent sales (Oliver Tuszik — 3,132 shares; Deborah L. Stahlkopf — 7,981 shares). Sales are modest relative to holdings but clustered insider sales can weigh on near‑term sentiment. SEC filing — Tuszik sale SEC filing — Stahlkopf sale
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concern: some analysis flags Cisco as expensive on price‑to‑sales, which could cap upside for value‑focused investors despite growth in AI/networking demand. Cisco is Overvalued at 4.95X PS

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In related news, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 1,744 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.07, for a total transaction of $134,410.08. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 156,693 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,076,329.51. This trade represents a 1.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 3,132 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.74, for a total transaction of $249,745.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 188,613 shares in the company, valued at $15,040,000.62. This trade represents a 1.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 46,431 shares of company stock worth $3,574,820 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Cisco Systems

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,473,272,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 8,718.3% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 51,952,421 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $400,190,000 after purchasing an additional 51,363,281 shares during the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its position in Cisco Systems by 413.3% during the 2nd quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 22,393,371 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $1,553,645,000 after purchasing an additional 18,030,441 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 103.2% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 29,289,151 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,256,144,000 after purchasing an additional 14,874,407 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 46.2% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,836,858 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,833,261,000 after purchasing an additional 12,904,969 shares during the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.