Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Stock Holdings Cut by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 9,350,812 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 249,899 shares during the quarter. Cisco Systems comprises 0.6% of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.24% of Cisco Systems worth $1,006,428,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Cozad Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Cisco Systems by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,203 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $2,033,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 3.9% during the second quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,413 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $283,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Green Ridge Wealth Planning LLC boosted its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.5% in the third quarter. Green Ridge Wealth Planning LLC now owns 6,017 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $648,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. August Group Capital Ltd boosted its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 2.0% in the second quarter. August Group Capital Ltd now owns 4,723 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $555,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Insights Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.5% in the first quarter. Financial Insights Inc. now owns 6,220 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $483,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on CSCO. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Cisco Systems in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 11th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Cisco Systems in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Cisco Systems presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.52.

Cisco Systems News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure remains a key growth catalyst. Cisco is benefiting from rising hyperscaler demand for networking equipment, while AI workloads, 5G, Wi-Fi 7, and broader connectivity needs support the networking industry’s expansion. Cisco Gains From AI Networking Boom
• Positive Sentiment: Industry research projects the global virtualization-security market will grow from $1.7 billion in 2025 to $4.9 billion by 2032, creating potential demand for Cisco’s security, segmentation, and cloud-native offerings. Virtualization Security Market Report
• Positive Sentiment: Mobile virtualization is projected to reach $21 billion by 2032, with remote work, BYOD, 5G, and tighter data regulations supporting longer-term opportunities for Cisco’s networking and security businesses. Mobile Virtualization Market Report
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts maintain a favorable view ahead of earnings, with a reported consensus price target of $128.52, implying continued confidence in Cisco’s outlook. Cisco Consensus Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco is experimenting with an AI-assisted rewrite of approximately 98% of its code under a young engineering leader, potentially improving development speed and product productivity, although execution remains unproven. Cisco AI Code Rewrite
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco’s upcoming report is receiving positive analyst attention after the stock outperformed the broader market, but the preview also raises the bar for results and forward guidance. Cisco Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s AI-security and quantum-safe initiatives could strengthen its long-term product portfolio, though the articles provide limited evidence of near-term financial impact. Cisco AI Security and Quantum-Safe Push
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure is increasing: Dell is expanding its AI-security and cyber-resilience capabilities, potentially challenging Cisco in enterprise infrastructure and security markets. Dell Expands AI Security Capabilities
• Negative Sentiment: Recent weakness relative to the broader market suggests investors may be taking profits or demanding stronger earnings and guidance, particularly with CSCO trading at a relatively elevated earnings multiple.

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In related news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,628 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.54, for a total transaction of $2,412,387.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 602,710 shares in the company, valued at $67,226,273.40. This trade represents a 3.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 312 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.18, for a total value of $34,376.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 127,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,065,688.98. This represents a 0.24% 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 44,869 shares of company stock valued at $5,005,620. Corporate insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems Stock Down 3.8%

CSCO opened at $104.51 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $412.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $110.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.01. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $70.54 and a fifty-two week high of $130.37.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.42 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date was 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 currently 50.30%.

About Cisco Systems

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.