Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Cisco Systems has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, with 16 buy ratings, 2 strong buy ratings, and 8 hold ratings across 26 analysts. The average 12-month price target is about $119.09.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.06 versus the $1.03 estimate and revenue of $15.84 billion versus $15.56 billion expected. Cisco also issued upbeat guidance for Q4 2026 and FY 2026.
• Cisco announced a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, or $1.68 annualized, implying a yield of roughly 1.4%. The payout ratio is currently 54.55%.

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-six research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $119.0909.

CSCO has been the subject of several research reports. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $86.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. HSBC upgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $77.00 to $137.00 in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Citic Securities increased their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $96.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $75.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

CSCO stock opened at $120.42 on Monday. Cisco Systems has a 52 week low of $62.30 and a 52 week high of $121.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $93.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $474.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.01.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.03. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.14% and a return on equity of 28.44%. The business had revenue of $15.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.96 earnings per share. Cisco Systems's quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Cisco Systems has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.160-1.180 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.270-4.290 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Cisco Systems's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.55%.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Cisco to $135 from $114 and reiterated a Buy rating, citing stronger demand for high-speed optical networking gear tied to AI infrastructure spending. BofA raises Cisco, Ciena targets as AI optics boom accelerates
• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt also lifted its price target on Cisco to $150 from $100 and kept a Buy rating after Cisco’s latest quarterly results, reinforcing optimism around earnings and guidance. Rosenblatt Raises its Price Target on Cisco Systems (CSCO)
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage continues to frame Cisco as a beneficiary of AI-driven networking and security spending, with multiple stories highlighting record results and strong momentum. AI Buildout Fuels Record Results for These Companies
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco joined the EnterpriseClaw AI automation platform alongside NVIDIA, Okta, and OpenAI, reinforcing its security and AI relevance in enterprise workflows. Cisco Joins EnterpriseClaw To Link AI Automation With Security And Valuation Risks
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary pieces are highlighting Cisco as a “throwback” tech stock that still fits into the AI trade, but these articles are mostly market commentary rather than new fundamentals. Dell, Cisco: How 'throwback' tech stocks fit into the AI trade
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,400 shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan, which is notable but does not necessarily point to changing fundamentals. SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media reports continue to note that Cisco has outperformed the broader technology sector, but that view largely reflects recent price strength already in place. Cisco Systems Stock: Is CSCO Outperforming the Technology Sector?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total value of $2,568,642.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 637,085 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $76,469,312.55. This represents a 3.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 2,761 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.61, for a total transaction of $316,438.21. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 180,877 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,730,312.97. This represents a 1.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 51,324 shares of company stock valued at $5,559,834. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CSCO. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Cisco Systems by 49.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 74,187 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $4,392,000 after buying an additional 24,562 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Cisco Systems by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,156 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $542,000 after acquiring an additional 2,474 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Cisco Systems by 7.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,178 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $706,000 after acquiring an additional 712 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its stake in Cisco Systems by 3.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 13,974 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $969,000 after acquiring an additional 519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Cisco Systems by 118.1% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 90,650 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $6,289,000 after purchasing an additional 590,650 shares in the last quarter. 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.

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