Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Shares Sold by Westpac Banking Corp

Key Points

• Westpac Banking Corp cut its Cisco stake by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 12,588 shares and leaving it with 178,048 shares worth about $13.7 million.
• Cisco’s recent earnings were solid, with Q1 EPS of $1.06 and revenue of $15.84 billion, both above estimates, while the company raised guidance for Q4 2026 and FY 2026.
• Analyst sentiment has improved, with several firms raising price targets; the stock currently carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $119.09, alongside a new quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share.

Westpac Banking Corp lowered its position in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - Free Report) by 6.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 178,048 shares of the network equipment provider's stock after selling 12,588 shares during the period. Cisco Systems makes up about 0.9% of Westpac Banking Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Westpac Banking Corp's holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $13,715,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 398,943,293 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $30,730,602,000 after acquiring an additional 4,049,893 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,473,272,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 53,612,720 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $3,668,182,000 after buying an additional 5,081,469 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 48,498,612 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $3,318,275,000 after buying an additional 1,631,703 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 42,641,483 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $2,917,530,000 after buying an additional 1,804,625 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In related news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total value of $2,568,642.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 637,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,469,312.55. This represents a 3.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,169 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.28, for a total value of $840,780.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 246,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,937,315.36. This represents a 2.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 51,324 shares of company stock worth $5,559,834 in the last quarter. 0.01% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on CSCO. Evercore upped their target price on Cisco Systems from $110.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on Cisco Systems from $87.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Cisco Systems from $75.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research lowered Cisco Systems from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on Cisco Systems from $86.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.09.

Cisco Systems Trading Up 5.5%

Shares of Cisco Systems stock opened at $128.00 on Wednesday. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $63.72 and a fifty-two week high of $128.22. The firm has a market cap of $504.50 billion, a PE ratio of 41.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.01. The business's fifty day moving average is $94.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $15.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.56 billion. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 28.44% and a net margin of 20.14%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company 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 anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, July 6th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 6th. Cisco Systems's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.55%.

More Cisco Systems News

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

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC upgraded Cisco to Buy and raised its price target to $137 from $77, saying AI infrastructure demand is stronger than expected and has materially improved Cisco’s growth outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco reported a record quarter with revenue and earnings above expectations, while also lifting its AI infrastructure orders target, which supports the view that AI demand is becoming a meaningful driver of future growth.
• Positive Sentiment: At Cisco Live, the company unveiled Cisco Cloud Control and Live Protect, new platforms aimed at unified IT management and defense against AI-powered cyber threats, highlighting a broader AI and security strategy.
• Positive Sentiment: Trading activity also turned more bullish, with unusual call option buying suggesting investors were positioning for further upside after the stock hit fresh highs.
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco filed a $41.2 million shelf registration tied to ESOP-related common stock offerings, which is worth watching but does not appear to be the main driver of the stock move.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market enthusiasm for AI and networking stocks is also helping sentiment, adding momentum to Cisco’s advance.

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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