Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Reduces Holdings in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Key Points

• Clark Capital Management trimmed its Cisco stake by 16.6% in Q3, selling 373,665 shares and now holds 1,881,624 shares worth about $128.74 million (Cisco is its 24th-largest holding).
• Cisco beat Q2 expectations with EPS of $1.04 vs. $1.02 and revenue of $15.35B vs. $15.11B (revenue +9.7% YoY); management flagged stronger hyperscale/cloud AI orders as a catalyst but warned of potential margin pressure from higher memory costs.
• Dividend and sentiment: Cisco raised its quarterly dividend to $0.42 (annualized $1.68, ~2.1% yield), insiders including the CEO have recently sold shares, and analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average price target of $89.55.

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lowered its position in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - Free Report) by 16.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,881,624 shares of the network equipment provider's stock after selling 373,665 shares during the quarter. Cisco Systems accounts for approximately 0.8% of Clark Capital Management Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.'s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $128,741,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.1% during the second quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 420,336 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $29,163,000 after buying an additional 4,525 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Cisco Systems by 6.9% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,189,645 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $218,236,000 after acquiring an additional 205,043 shares in the last quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Cisco Systems in the third quarter valued at $8,563,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in Cisco Systems by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 686,469 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $46,165,000 after acquiring an additional 56,057 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rockland Trust Co. grew its holdings in Cisco Systems by 213.8% during the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 20,497 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $1,402,000 after acquiring an additional 13,966 shares in the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CSCO opened at $78.33 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $309.40 billion, a PE ratio of 27.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.87. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $52.11 and a fifty-two week high of $88.18. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $78.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $74.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.94 earnings per share. Cisco Systems's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.04 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This is a positive change from Cisco Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Cisco Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.95%.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Beat-and-raise quarter: Cisco reported record Q2 revenue and EPS, with hyperscale/cloud AI orders up ~61% to $2.1B and management raising annual AI order expectations — a clear near-term revenue catalyst and reason for investor optimism. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets: Multiple firms have raised ratings/targets (Evercore, Citi, Argus, etc.), which supports buying interest and helps lift the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Product share gains: Dell’Oro reports Cisco edged out competitors for #1 indoor Wi‑Fi 7 revenue share in 2025 thanks to aggressive pricing — supports near-term hardware demand and competitive positioning. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend raise: Cisco bumped its quarterly dividend to $0.42 (annualized $1.68), a modest positive for income buyers but not a major growth signal. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation & pullback debate: Several pieces weigh whether the recent pullback makes CSCO reasonably priced — useful context for entries but mixed impact on immediate direction. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor outreach: Management’s conference presentations (e.g., Morgan Stanley) reiterate networking and AI strengths — improves visibility but is informational rather than catalytic. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure: Management warned of higher memory costs and a hardware-heavy mix that could compress gross margins despite revenue growth — a key risk to near-term EPS expansion. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Recent SEC filings show EVP Thimaya Subaiya sold 1,744 shares and SVP Maria Victoria Wong sold 551 shares last week; amounts are small vs. their holdings but can create short-term sentiment headwinds. Form 4 - Subaiya Form 4 - Wong

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. HSBC lifted their price target on Cisco Systems from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Cisco Systems in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Cisco Systems from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $89.55.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cisco Systems

In other news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 19,545 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total transaction of $1,485,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 671,095 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $51,003,220. The trade was a 2.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Maria Victoria Wong sold 2,179 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.74, for a total transaction of $169,395.46. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 28,807 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,239,456.18. This represents a 7.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 75,799 shares of company stock worth $5,815,306. 0.01% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Cisco Systems Company 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CSCO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.