Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Shares Acquired by Schroder Investment Management Group

Key Points

• Schroder Investment Management increased its stake in Cisco by 8.2% to 4,508,183 shares (about $305.3 million), and institutional investors now own roughly 73.33% of the stock.
• Cisco beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.04 EPS vs. $1.02 expected and revenue of $15.35 billion (up 9.7% year-over-year vs. $15.11 billion expected).
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.42 ($1.68 annual, ~2.1% yield; ex-dividend April 2), while analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target of $89.55 (some targets as high as $96).

Schroder Investment Management Group increased its holdings in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - Free Report) by 8.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,508,183 shares of the network equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 342,024 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group owned 0.11% of Cisco Systems worth $305,294,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Cisco Systems by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,449 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $715,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY boosted its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.6% in the third quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 24,622 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $1,685,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Yoder Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 3.8% in the third quarter. Yoder Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,945 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $270,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Weaver Consulting Group grew its holdings in Cisco Systems by 1.5% in the third quarter. Weaver Consulting Group now owns 9,940 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $680,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Finally, Wynn Capital LLC raised its stake in Cisco Systems by 0.3% during the third quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 48,456 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $3,315,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

Shares of CSCO stock opened at $78.64 on Monday. 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 market cap of $310.62 billion, a PE ratio of 27.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.87. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $77.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $74.19. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.11 and a 52 week high of $88.18.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.02. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 19.22% and a return on equity of 27.88%. The firm had revenue of $15.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.94 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.04 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Cisco Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. Cisco Systems's payout ratio is 58.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CSCO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. President Capital cut their target price on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $88.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Wall Street Zen raised Cisco Systems from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on Cisco Systems from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, CICC Research raised their price objective on Cisco Systems from $84.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cisco Systems presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.55.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Maria Victoria Wong sold 2,179 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.74, for a total transaction of $169,395.46. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 28,807 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,239,456.18. The trade was a 7.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Kristina M. Johnson sold 13,481 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.13, for a total transaction of $1,039,789.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 61,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,753,521.90. This trade represents a 17.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 75,677 shares of company stock worth $5,811,211 in the last ninety days. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cisco Systems 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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