Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Cisco raised its FY 2026 outlook, guiding for EPS of $4.27-$4.29 and revenue of $62.8 billion-$63.0 billion. Both figures are above Wall Street expectations, signaling management confidence in the company’s growth trajectory.
• Q4 2026 guidance also topped estimates, with Cisco forecasting EPS of $1.16-$1.18. The updated outlook came alongside a strong prior-quarter result, when Cisco beat analyst estimates on both EPS and revenue.
• Investor sentiment remains upbeat as analysts cite AI networking demand, hyperscaler momentum, and Cisco’s role in an AI data center alliance as potential growth drivers. The stock also traded near its 52-week high following the guidance update.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 4.270-4.290 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 4.010. The company issued revenue guidance of $62.8 billion-$63.0 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $61.6 billion. Cisco Systems also updated its Q4 2026 guidance to 1.160-1.180 EPS.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

CSCO stock traded up $2.58 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $101.87. 34,208,050 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 22,356,156. Cisco Systems has a one year low of $60.85 and a one year high of $102.01. The stock has a market cap of $402.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.14.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.04 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $15.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.56 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 19.22% and a return on equity of 27.88%. 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. Equities analysts expect that Cisco Systems will post 3.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CSCO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Truist Financial started coverage on Cisco Systems in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. They set a "buy" rating and a $94.00 price objective on the stock. DZ Bank raised Cisco Systems to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. CICC Research increased their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $84.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Cisco Systems in a report on Friday, April 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $90.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 19,545 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total value of $1,485,420.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 671,095 shares in the company, valued at $51,003,220. The trade was a 2.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 3,132 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 188,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,040,000.62. This trade represents a 1.63% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 46,431 shares of company stock valued at $3,574,820. Insiders own 0.01% of the company's stock.

Key Cisco Systems News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary ahead of earnings has been upbeat, with analysts pointing to strong AI networking demand, robust product orders, and hyperscaler momentum as potential drivers of double-digit revenue growth. The Zacks Analyst Blog Cisco, Arista Networks, Dell and Hewlett
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco joined a multi-company AI data center alliance aimed at setting open standards for optical connectivity, a move that reinforces its role in the fast-growing AI infrastructure buildout. Cisco Joins AI Data Center Alliance As Stock Trades Above Targets
• Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism is also being supported by expectations that Cisco will post another quarter of earnings and revenue growth, with analysts looking for EPS of about $1.03-$1.04 and revenue around $15.56 billion. Cisco Gears Up For Q3 Print; Here Are The Recent Forecast Changes From Wall Street's Most Accurate Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Cisco’s data center business looks bright, adding to the upbeat pre-earnings narrative around the company’s growth in networking and AI-related infrastructure. Jim Cramer on Cisco: “The Future Is Bright for the Data Center Part of the Business”
• Neutral Sentiment: Several previews note that Cisco is heading into earnings after a strong rally and at or near record highs, so results and guidance may need to be solid to justify the recent valuation expansion. Cisco Q3 Preview: Stock Hits New Highs, Expert Asks 'Can It Return To Those Parabolic '90s Like Returns?'
• Neutral Sentiment: Traders are expecting a sizable post-earnings move, which suggests the stock could stay volatile around the report even if the long-term outlook remains constructive. How Much Is Cisco Stock Expected to Move After Earnings This Week?

Institutional Trading of Cisco Systems

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp grew its stake in Cisco Systems by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 195,521,161 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $15,060,995,000 after purchasing an additional 1,057,962 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 75,326,258 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $5,802,382,000 after purchasing an additional 206,352 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Cisco Systems by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 52,148,049 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $4,016,964,000 after buying an additional 1,096,794 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 3.5% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 48,498,612 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $3,318,275,000 after acquiring an additional 1,631,703 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 103.2% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 29,289,151 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $2,256,144,000 after purchasing an additional 14,874,407 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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