Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Stock: China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Raises Stake

Key Points

• China Universal Asset Management increased its Cisco stake by 10.3% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 195,746 shares valued at approximately $20.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 73.33% of Cisco’s stock.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Cisco receiving a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.52. Recent target increases included UBS at $138 and Truist Financial at $140.
• Cisco reported quarterly earnings and revenue above estimates, with EPS of $1.22 and revenue of $17.25 billion, up 17.6% year over year. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.42, representing a 1.5% annualized yield.

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - Free Report) by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 195,746 shares of the network equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 18,332 shares during the quarter. Cisco Systems makes up about 1.1% of China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $20,933,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cozad Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Cisco Systems by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,203 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $2,033,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Cisco Systems by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,413 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Green Ridge Wealth Planning LLC increased its position in Cisco Systems by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Green Ridge Wealth Planning LLC now owns 6,017 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $648,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. August Group Capital Ltd increased its position in Cisco Systems by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. August Group Capital Ltd now owns 4,723 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $555,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Insights Inc. increased its position in Cisco Systems by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Financial Insights Inc. now owns 6,220 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $483,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CSCO has been the topic of a number of research reports. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $132.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Barclays upped their price objective on Cisco Systems from $121.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.52.

More Cisco Systems News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI networking demand remains a key growth driver. Rising hyperscaler spending and Cisco’s expanding networking portfolio could help it compete more effectively with Arista Networks and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Cisco Gains From AI Networking Boom
• Positive Sentiment: Security and AI-agent protection initiatives strengthen Cisco’s strategic positioning. The company is promoting AI security, quantum-safe capabilities and Project Quarry, an open-source tool designed to detect rogue AI agents—areas that could support demand as enterprises deploy more AI. Cisco Open Sources Project Quarry
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst expectations remain favorable. Cisco has outperformed the broader market recently, and the reported consensus price target of $128.52 implies further upside from recent trading levels. Cisco Consensus Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings are the next major catalyst. A preview noted a positive analyst outlook ahead of Cisco’s report. Investors may be waiting for updated guidance and evidence that AI-related orders are translating into sustained revenue and margin growth. Earnings Preview: What to Expect From Cisco’s Report
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and valuation concerns may be limiting enthusiasm. Dell’s expanding AI-security capabilities and strong server backlog highlight intensifying competition for AI infrastructure spending, while Cisco’s elevated valuation leaves the stock vulnerable to profit-taking if expectations are not exceeded. Dell Expands AI Security Capabilities
• Negative Sentiment: Recent selling added pressure. ETFs were reported as net sellers of CSCO, and the stock fell more than the broader market without a clearly identified negative company announcement, suggesting investors were reducing exposure or locking in gains ahead of earnings. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Cisco

Cisco Systems Price Performance

CSCO opened at $108.59 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $110.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $100.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.93. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $70.54 and a 52 week high of $130.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $428.13 billion, a PE ratio of 32.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.99.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $17.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.84 billion. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 30.16% and a net margin of 20.95%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. Cisco Systems has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.050-5.110 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.320-1.340 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Friday, October 2nd were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 2nd. Cisco Systems's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,170 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total transaction of $799,956.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 230,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,727,261.01. The trade was a 3.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,628 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.54, for a total value of $2,412,387.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 602,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at $67,226,273.40. The trade was a 3.46% 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 have sold a total of 44,869 shares of company stock valued at $5,005,620 in the last ninety days. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Cisco Systems Profile

Cisco Systems, Inc is a global technology company that develops networking, cybersecurity, collaboration and observability solutions for businesses, government organizations and service providers. Its offerings include routers, switches, wireless networking equipment, data-center infrastructure, security software and services, as well as technologies that support cloud and hybrid IT environments.

The company also provides collaboration tools through its Webex portfolio, cloud-managed networking through Cisco Meraki and security and observability capabilities that include technologies from Splunk, which Cisco acquired in 2024.

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