Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Shares Bought by Advisors Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its Cisco stake by 2.8% to 1,573,382 shares (about $121.2 million), making CSCO its 13th largest position and ~1.4% of the firm's portfolio.
• Cisco unveiled a working prototype of a Universal Quantum Switch that can route quantum information between different systems with under 4% fidelity degradation, marking a tangible step into quantum networking and expanding its addressable market beyond traditional routers and switches.
• The company beat quarterly estimates (EPS $1.04 vs. $1.02; revenue $15.35B vs. $15.11B) and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.42 (annualized $1.68, ~1.9% yield), underscoring both operational momentum and shareholder returns.

Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - Free Report) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,573,382 shares of the network equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 42,566 shares during the period. Cisco Systems makes up about 1.4% of Advisors Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Advisors Capital Management LLC's holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $121,198,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CSCO. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cisco Systems in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in Cisco Systems during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Cisco Systems by 96.2% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 408 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 115.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 468 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cisco Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 73.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CSCO. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Cisco Systems in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Evercore raised shares of Cisco Systems from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Cisco Systems to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $89.81.

Cisco Systems News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco unveiled a working prototype of a "Universal Quantum Switch" that can route quantum information between different types of quantum systems — a tangible step toward quantum networking that expands Cisco's addressable market beyond traditional routers and switches. Cisco shows switch that can connect quantum computers of different kinds
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s Universal Quantum Switch press release reported proof-of-concept results (under 4% fidelity degradation) and stressed interoperability over standard telecom fiber — a credibility boost for long-term revenue potential in an emerging market. Cisco Introduces Universal Quantum Switch, Advancing the Path to a Quantum Network
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and trade pieces are positioning Cisco as a beneficiary of the AI-quantum convergence and as a "pick-and-shovel" supplier to AI infrastructure builds — sentiment that supports multiple-year upside if Cisco converts research into commercial products and services. AI Meets Quantum: Best Pick-and-Shovel Stocks for a Multi-Year Shift
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary ranks Cisco among AI/infra names with multi‑trillion-dollar potential over time, reflecting investor expectations that its transformation into higher‑margin software/subscriptions and AI hardware could materially re-rate valuation. Cisco Systems (CSCO): Can It Hit Trillion Dollar Milestone?
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco added Qmulos continuous‑compliance products to its Global Price List, easing procurement for joint customers — a modest commercial win that supports software and services momentum but is not material on its own. Qmulos Now Available on Cisco Global Price List (GPL)
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data for April appears inconsistent (shows 0 shares / NaN change) and is not indicating a meaningful short squeeze or cover signal at this time.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upbeat product news, Cisco shares pulled back on April 23 (a larger decline than the market), showing that investors still react to near‑term macro/earnings/rotation risk even as the company invests in new growth areas. Cisco Systems (CSCO) Registers a Bigger Fall Than the Market

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Maria Victoria Wong sold 551 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.54, for a total value of $42,724.54. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 27,957 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,167,785.78. This trade represents a 1.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 3,132 shares of the business'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 value of $249,745.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 188,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,040,000.62. This represents a 1.63% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 46,431 shares of company stock worth $3,574,820. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

Cisco Systems stock opened at $89.01 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 12 month low of $56.07 and a 12 month high of $90.45. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $80.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.44. The company has a market cap of $351.58 billion, a PE ratio of 31.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.83.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $15.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.11 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 19.22% and a return on equity of 27.88%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. Research analysts expect that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. This is a positive change from Cisco Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Cisco Systems's payout ratio is currently 58.95%.

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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