Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Shares Sold by Welch & Forbes LLC

Key Points

• Welch & Forbes LLC trimmed its Cisco stake by 1.4% in the first quarter, selling 8,929 shares and leaving it with 633,547 shares valued at about $49.2 million.
• Cisco is drawing bullish attention from analysts and news flow thanks to its role in AI infrastructure, cloud/data-center growth, and a recent $230 million Army-related contract, plus an AP Cybersecurity partnership with the College Board.
• The stock has been moving higher and the fundamentals remain solid: Cisco shares recently traded up to $121.31, the company beat quarterly earnings estimates, raised guidance, and continues to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share.

Welch & Forbes LLC reduced its position in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 633,547 shares of the network equipment provider's stock after selling 8,929 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC's holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $49,157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CSCO. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management purchased a new position in Cisco Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Networth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 276.4% in the first quarter. Networth Advisors LLC now owns 335 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 137.0% in the first 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. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Cisco Systems during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company's stock.

Key Cisco Systems News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco was highlighted as an AI infrastructure leader, with its networking, optics, Splunk, and hyperscaler exposure seen as key drivers of stronger long-term demand. Cisco, IBD Stock Of The Day, Went From Slow-Growth Tech Icon To AI Infrastructure Leader
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks included CSCO among cloud computing stocks positioned to benefit from AI-driven data-center growth in the second half of 2026, supporting the stock’s bull case. 5 Cloud Computing Stocks to Buy for 2H 2026 as Digital Demand Soars
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco landed a $230 million Army-related role, adding another sign of demand for its networking and security offerings. Cisco (CSCO) Lands $230 Million Army Role And Backs AP Cybersecurity Course
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco also partnered with the College Board to launch a new AP Cybersecurity course, which could help strengthen its long-term brand in cybersecurity education and talent development. Cisco (CSCO) Partners With College Board to Launch AP Cybersecurity Course
• Neutral Sentiment: A data-center infrastructure market report named Cisco among industry participants benefiting from AI adoption and cloud expansion, but this was more of an industry overview than a company-specific catalyst. Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) Software Market Report Published; Profiles Schneider Electric, Vertiv, IBM, Cisco, HPE & 10 Others
• Neutral Sentiment: One note said short interest in Cisco increased in July, but the figures reported zero shares on both dates, so it does not appear to be a meaningful trading signal.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Cisco Systems from $116.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Argus upped their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $100.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.14.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 2.5%

NASDAQ CSCO traded up $3.00 during trading on Friday, reaching $121.31. 26,175,468 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 23,114,244. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $115.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $92.08. The stock has a market cap of $478.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.02. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $65.75 and a 1 year high of $130.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.92.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 28.44% and a net margin of 20.14%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. 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 payout ratio is currently 54.55%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 7,127 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.91, for a total value of $854,598.57. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 140,857 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,890,162.87. This trade represents a 4.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,400 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total transaction of $2,568,642.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 637,085 shares in the company, valued at $76,469,312.55. This represents a 3.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 47,650 shares of company stock worth $5,668,823. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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