Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Stock Price Up 1.1% After Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Cisco shares rose 1.1% after Bank of America lifted its price target to $135 from $114 and reiterated a buy rating, adding to a broadly bullish analyst backdrop. The stock recently traded around $119.67, near the consensus price target of $119.09.
• Several other analysts also turned more optimistic, with firms like HSBC and Piper Sandler raising targets amid strong quarterly results and increasing interest in Cisco’s role in the AI networking trade. The company now has a “Moderate Buy” consensus with 18 Buy/Strong Buy ratings.
• Cisco’s latest earnings beat expectations, reporting $1.06 EPS on $15.84 billion in revenue and issuing solid forward guidance for fiscal 2026. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, reflecting a 1.4% annual yield.

Shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) were up 1.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Bank of America raised their price target on the stock from $114.00 to $135.00. Bank of America currently has a buy rating on the stock. Cisco Systems traded as high as $120.39 and last traded at $119.67. Approximately 21,147,187 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 10% from the average daily volume of 23,443,982 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.33.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Cisco Systems from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $91.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. HSBC raised Cisco Systems from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $77.00 to $137.00 in a report on Friday, May 15th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Cisco Systems from $86.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Cisco Systems from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cisco Systems presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $119.09.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,169 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.28, for a total value of $840,780.32. Following the transaction, the insider owned 246,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,937,315.36. The trade was a 2.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 3,132 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.74, for a total value of $249,745.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 188,613 shares in the company, valued at $15,040,000.62. The trade was a 1.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 51,324 shares of company stock worth $5,559,834. 0.01% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Cisco Systems News Roundup

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 kept a buy rating, citing accelerating demand for AI-driven high-speed optical networking equipment. BofA raises Cisco, Ciena targets as AI optics boom accelerates
• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt also lifted its target on Cisco to $150 from $100 and reiterated a buy after the company’s strong quarterly results, reinforcing the bullish analyst view. Rosenblatt Raises its Price Target on Cisco Systems (CSCO)
• Positive Sentiment: Articles highlighted Cisco as a major winner in the AI networking trade, noting that the stock has surged sharply over the past month as investors rotate toward infrastructure names benefiting from AI buildout. Cisco Soars 32% in a Month, Arista Falls 10%, Broadcom Drifts: The AI Networking Trade Has a Clear Winner
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco and Qumulo announced an industry-first CloudBridge architecture designed to help enterprises extend file workloads into the cloud and avoid hardware bottlenecks, adding another AI/cloud infrastructure use case for Cisco’s networking portfolio. Qumulo and Cisco Deliver Industry-First CloudBridge Architecture...
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage also pointed to Cisco’s strong earnings and AI-related order growth, suggesting the company is seeing real operating leverage from the AI infrastructure cycle. AI Buildout Fuels Record Results for These Companies
• Neutral Sentiment: Some momentum-focused articles simply framed Cisco as a top stock pick for traders, which supports the bullish narrative but does not add new fundamental information. Are You Looking for a Top Momentum Pick? Why Cisco Systems (CSCO) is a Great Choice
• Negative Sentiment: One article argued the Cisco trade may be getting crowded and fully priced, warning that some investors are now looking for cheaper AI networking alternatives like Nokia. Forget Cisco: Nokia Is the AI Networking Stock Nobody’s Watching

Institutional Trading of Cisco Systems

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management bought a new position in Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Networth Advisors LLC increased its position in Cisco Systems by 276.4% in the first quarter. Networth Advisors LLC now owns 335 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Cisco Systems during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC lifted its position in Cisco Systems by 137.0% during the 1st quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. 73.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 1.1%

The firm's 50 day moving average price is $90.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $471.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.92.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $15.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. Cisco Systems's revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.44 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

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

About Cisco Systems

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.