Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Trading Up 2.3% – Time to Buy?

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) traded up 2.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $89.80 and last traded at $89.70. 18,615,828 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 19% from the average session volume of 22,892,791 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.71.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst writeups call CSCO a “momentum” stock, citing recent price strength, improving revenue and earnings beats that make it attractive to momentum investors. Cisco Systems (CSCO) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks similarly highlights CSCO as a momentum candidate, repeating the view that recent fundamental beats and AI/networking exposure support further upside. Cisco Systems (CSCO) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks’ earnings‑beat screen flags Cisco as one of the tech names that could beat upcoming estimates, supporting short‑term upside expectations for the stock. These 2 Computer and Technology Stocks Could Beat Earnings: Why They Should Be on Your Radar
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage lists Cisco among top AI/data‑center plays (ranked in the top dozen), framing the stock as a value‑oriented way to play enterprise AI networking and security transitions. Is Cisco Systems (CSCO) One of the Best AI Data Center Stocks to Buy Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ analyst blog highlights AI momentum, deal flow and cloud demand as positives for Cisco but also notes lingering margin pressures and macro uncertainty — a mixed view that supports the rally but tempers expectations. The Zacks Analyst Blog Broadcom, JPMorgan, Cisco, Preformed Line Products and CompX
• Neutral Sentiment: Roundups on analyst coverage and “top research reports” include Cisco, noting positive revenue trends and portfolio expansion but reminding investors that valuation and margin dynamics matter. Top Research Reports for Broadcom, JPMorgan & Cisco
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles examining Wall Street recommendations say the average broker view is bullish on CSCO; useful context but not a fresh catalyst by itself. Is Cisco (CSCO) a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Negative Sentiment: Feature quoting former CEO John Chambers warns the AI bubble is harder to navigate than prior tech cycles — a cautionary note that could increase volatility and investor risk‑aversion toward AI names including Cisco. Cisco’s John Chambers lived through the dot-com crash. He says the AI bubble is harder to navigate
• Neutral Sentiment: Market daily wrap mentions Cisco among movers in broader market coverage; helpful color but not a standalone driver. Stock Market Today: Dow Dips As Trump Says This On Iran; This Stock Clears Entry (Live Coverage)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research cut shares of Cisco Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Cisco Systems to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of Cisco Systems in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $94.00 price target for the company. Finally, President Capital reduced their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $88.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cisco Systems has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.81.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $354.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.83. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $79.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $15.11 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This is an increase from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is 58.95%.

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In related news, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 3,132 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.74, for a total transaction of $249,745.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 188,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,040,000.62. This trade represents a 1.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 11,248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total transaction of $854,848.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 262,776 shares in the company, valued at $19,970,976. The trade was a 4.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 46,431 shares of company stock valued at $3,574,820 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Cisco Systems

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Cisco Systems by 232.1% in the first quarter. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC now owns 12,493 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $969,000 after acquiring an additional 8,731 shares during the period. Pacific Sage Partners LLC raised its position in Cisco Systems by 0.7% in the first quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 16,185 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $1,256,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. Unique Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Cisco Systems in the first quarter worth about $220,000. Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV raised its position in Cisco Systems by 0.4% in the first quarter. Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV now owns 103,077 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $7,998,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. Finally, Xcel Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Cisco Systems by 3.8% in the first quarter. Xcel Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,988 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $853,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

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.