Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) from a "hold" to a "strong-buy", signaling renewed analyst conviction in the stock.
• Multiple analysts have raised price targets (several to the $90–$100 range) and the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $86.81, boosting bullish sentiment.
• Cisco slightly beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and issued FY2026 guidance of 4.080–4.140 EPS, supporting the positive analyst momentum.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Citic Securities boosted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $75.00 to $90.00 in a report on Monday, November 17th. HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Argus increased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $80.00 to $100.00 in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.81.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

Shares of CSCO opened at $78.68 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $310.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.87. Cisco Systems has a fifty-two week low of $52.11 and a fifty-two week high of $80.82. The business's 50-day moving average is $76.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $14.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.77 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 18.38% and a return on equity of 27.29%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.91 earnings per share. Cisco Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.080-4.140 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.010-1.030 EPS. Research analysts predict that Cisco Systems will post 3.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Cisco Systems news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 163,896 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.86, for a total value of $12,760,942.56. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 281,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,887,068.88. This trade represents a 36.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michael D. Capellas sold 16,150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.28, for a total value of $1,248,072.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 157,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,149,807.04. This represents a 9.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 1,044,865 shares of company stock worth $81,397,635 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.01% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Cisco Systems

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CSCO. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 15,042 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $1,159,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Northstar Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in Cisco Systems by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Northstar Advisory Group LLC now owns 8,203 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $632,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 15,917 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $1,183,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Green Alpha Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Green Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 12,349 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $951,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.4% in the third quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,449 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company's stock.

More Cisco Systems News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI upgraded CSCO to "Outperform" and raised its price target to $100, signaling ~27% upside from recent levels and prompting buying interest from investors. Evercore ISI Upgrades Cisco Systems NASDAQ: CSCO to "Outperform"
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts have lifted targets and upgraded ratings in the past few days, boosting bullish sentiment and liquidity into the name. Higher analyst conviction supports near-term upside. Cisco Systems Trending as Analysts Lift Targets
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco launched the "Cisco 360" partner program designed for the AI era, intended to accelerate partner-led sales into AI-ready data centers, workplaces, and security — a strategic move to monetize AI infrastructure demand. Cisco Launches New Cisco 360 Partner Program, Built with Partners for the AI Era
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate research from Cisco highlights rising AI-driven spending on privacy, governance and infrastructure — supporting long-term TAM expansion for networking, security and observability products. AI Fuels Surge in Data Privacy Investments and Redefines Governance, Cisco Reports
• Neutral Sentiment: Local wins such as Georgetown’s Wi‑Fi 7 overhaul with Cisco underscore product demand and campus networking relevance but are likely incremental to overall revenue trends. Does Georgetown’s Wi‑Fi 7 Overhaul With Cisco (CSCO) Redefine Its Campus AI Networking Edge?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data this week appears anomalous (showing zero shares), so it’s not a meaningful immediate signal for squeezes or added pressure.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market write-ups and tape headlines (Zacks, Seeking Alpha summaries) note the stock’s recent gains and analyst activity; these amplify momentum but don’t add new fundamentals. Cisco Systems (CSCO) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Chuck Robbins warned investors to expect "AI carnage" when the bubble bursts, signaling management awareness of volatile demand dynamics that could lead to differentiation among winners and losers and potential multiple compression. Cisco Boss Robbins Warns Investors of “AI Carnage” Ahead as Winners and Losers Emerge
• Negative Sentiment: Some bearish analyst/commentary pieces (e.g., Forbes suggesting a sell case and lower-price scenarios) add downside narrative that could temper momentum if macro or AI spending headlines turn negative. Is It Time To Sell Cisco 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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