Pinnacle Associates Ltd. Sells 16,808 Shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Pinnacle Associates Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 696,388 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 16,808 shares during the period. Cisco Systems accounts for approximately 0.8% of Pinnacle Associates Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Pinnacle Associates Ltd.’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $74,952,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Uncommon Cents Investing Inc boosted its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing Inc now owns 68,247 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $7,345,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC grew its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 9.5% in the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 75,223 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $8,096,000 after acquiring an additional 6,522 shares during the last quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Harfst & Associates Inc. now owns 25,381 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $2,732,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in Cisco Systems by 1.1% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 5,527,068 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $594,878,000 after acquiring an additional 60,748 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 5.8% during the third quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 186,326 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $20,468,000 after purchasing an additional 10,166 shares during the period. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on CSCO shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Cisco Systems in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $132.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 16th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.52.

Cisco Systems News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: New AI networking platforms strengthen Cisco’s growth story. Cisco introduced 51.2-terabit and 102.4-terabit networking systems powered by its Silicon One chips, along with 1.6T optical modules and liquid-cooling technology for high-density data centers. Its collaboration with NVIDIA, TE Connectivity and Amphenol on next-generation optical connectivity could help Cisco capture more spending from the expanding AI infrastructure buildout. Cisco Systems Unveiled 102.4T AI Networking Platforms
• Positive Sentiment: AI demand is supporting an optimistic earnings setup. A preview article cited Cisco’s guidance for approximately 21% year-over-year revenue growth and 33% EPS growth, alongside recent revenue and earnings beats. Agentic AI adoption and infrastructure contracts, including international opportunities such as Bell Canada, are viewed as longer-term catalysts. Cisco Earnings Preview
• Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary supports continued AI capital spending. Strategist Tom Lee argued that the AI investment cycle may have substantial room to run, with networking, power, cooling and security among the beneficiaries. This reinforces the bullish case that Cisco’s AI order momentum could develop into a broader networking supercycle. Tom Lee on AI Stocks and Cisco
• Positive Sentiment: Splunk’s observability research highlights a potential software opportunity. Cisco reported that enterprises are struggling to monitor AI agents and control rising telemetry and AI costs. Growing demand for observability, security and operational predictability could support cross-selling through Cisco’s Splunk business. Splunk State of Observability 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: World Wide Technology’s new Cisco Secure AI Infrastructure specialization adds partner validation, but the direct near-term revenue impact is unclear. World Wide Technology Achieves Cisco Specialization
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and margin risks remain important headwinds. One analyst downgraded Cisco to Hold after a substantial year-to-date rally, arguing that the shares are near fair value and that hardware mix could pressure gross margins. Elevated price-to-sales levels may also reduce the stock’s sensitivity to positive AI news. Cisco Valuation and Technical Support

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Deborah Stahlkopf sold 6,487 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.53, for a total value of $723,495.11. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 167,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,638,447.48. The trade was a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Jeetendra Patel sold 7,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total value of $799,956.90. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 230,593 shares in the company, valued at $25,727,261.01. This trade represents a 3.02% decrease in their position. 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. Insiders have sold 44,869 shares of company stock worth $5,005,620 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 0.2%

Cisco Systems stock opened at $106.71 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $420.71 billion, a PE ratio of 31.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.99. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $69.85 and a twelve month high of $130.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $110.78 and a 200-day moving average of $109.50.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts’ expectations of $16.84 billion. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 30.16% and a net margin of 20.95%. The company’s revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.42 EPS for the current fiscal 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 $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 2nd. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.30%.

Cisco Systems Company Profile

Cisco Systems, Inc is a global technology company that develops networking, cybersecurity, collaboration and observability solutions for businesses, government organizations and service providers. Its offerings include routers, switches, wireless networking equipment, data-center infrastructure, security software and services, as well as technologies that support cloud and hybrid IT environments.

The company also provides collaboration tools through its Webex portfolio, cloud-managed networking through Cisco Meraki and security and observability capabilities that include technologies from Splunk, which Cisco acquired in 2024.