Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Stock Price Up 2.3% Following Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Cisco shares rose 2.3% after Citic Securities lifted its price target from $90 to $130, with the stock trading above $118 on heavy volume.
• Cisco’s latest earnings beat expectations, reporting $1.06 EPS on $15.84 billion in revenue, and the company also raised its full-year and fourth-quarter guidance.
• Analysts have grown more bullish overall on Cisco, citing AI-driven networking demand and a “networking supercycle,” while the company’s recent dividend announcement adds another support factor for investors.

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 2.3% during trading on Friday after Citic Securities raised their price target on the stock from $90.00 to $130.00. The stock traded as high as $118.83 and last traded at $118.21. Approximately 37,741,831 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 62% from the average daily volume of 23,305,570 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.53.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research cut Cisco Systems from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Evercore increased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $110.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. DZ Bank raised Cisco Systems to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup upped their target price on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Cisco Systems in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cisco Systems presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $114.55.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In related news, 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 transaction of $249,745.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 188,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,040,000.62. This trade represents a 1.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 7,981 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total value of $634,489.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 187,097 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,874,211.50. The trade was a 4.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 15,587 shares of company stock worth $1,230,765 over the last ninety days. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cisco Systems News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco delivered a beat-and-raise quarter, reporting revenue of $15.84 billion and non-GAAP EPS of $1.06, both above expectations, while raising FY2026 and Q4 guidance. Cisco Reports Third Quarter Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Management said AI-driven demand is fueling a “networking supercycle,” with hyperscaler AI orders and data center demand helping reset growth expectations for Cisco’s core business. Cisco CEO says tech is entering a networking supercycle
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokers turned more bullish after earnings, including HSBC upgrading Cisco to Buy and several firms raising price targets sharply, which reinforces the upside case for the stock. BNP Paribas Exane Issues Positive Forecast for Cisco Systems Stock Price
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts also highlighted Cisco’s restructuring and planned job cuts as a way to redirect spending toward AI investments, which may improve long-term margin and growth prospects. Cisco to Cut Jobs in Shift to Capture More AI Demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco announced it will cut about 4,000 jobs and take restructuring charges, which supports the AI pivot but also adds near-term execution and cost concerns.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary noted unusual options activity and elevated implied volatility ahead of earnings, suggesting traders expected a large move and are still repricing the stock.

Institutional Trading of Cisco Systems

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CSCO. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,189,645 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $218,236,000 after purchasing an additional 205,043 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 198,549 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $13,905,000 after purchasing an additional 26,455 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 686,469 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $46,165,000 after purchasing an additional 56,057 shares during the period. Rockland Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 213.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 20,497 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $1,402,000 after purchasing an additional 13,966 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 40.0% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 3,490,482 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $238,818,000 after purchasing an additional 997,738 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company's stock.

Cisco Systems Trading Up 2.3%

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $84.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.68. The company has a market capitalization of $466.92 billion, a PE ratio of 38.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $15.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.56 billion. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 28.70% and a net margin of 20.14%.The company's revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.96 EPS. 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 expect that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

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

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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