Kentucky Retirement Systems Boosts Holdings in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Kentucky Retirement Systems lifted its position in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - Free Report) by 76.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 441,425 shares of the network equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 191,526 shares during the period. Cisco Systems comprises 1.2% of Kentucky Retirement Systems' portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Kentucky Retirement Systems' holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $34,250,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in Cisco Systems by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 198,549 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $13,905,000 after acquiring an additional 26,455 shares in the last quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 101.8% during the fourth quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 107,306 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $8,266,000 after purchasing an additional 54,141 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its holdings in Cisco Systems by 47.1% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 200,341 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $15,432,000 after buying an additional 64,144 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp raised its stake in Cisco Systems by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 4,311,098 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $332,084,000 after buying an additional 275,456 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,873,274 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $375,388,000 after buying an additional 151,395 shares during the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on CSCO. Weiss Ratings raised Cisco Systems from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. New Street Research increased their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $82.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $96.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research raised shares of Cisco Systems from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $76.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $123.14.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights Cisco’s AI-related cloud demand and enterprise digital-transformation exposure, identifying CSCO alongside Alphabet and Cloudflare as a cloud-computing stock benefiting from increased AI infrastructure spending. 3 Top Cloud Computing Stocks Worth Buying Before August
• Positive Sentiment: An analysis of Cisco’s new AI and quantum-safe security alliances suggests the partnerships could strengthen the company’s cybersecurity positioning and support a more growth-oriented investment narrative over time. Did Cisco’s New AI and Quantum-Safe Security Alliances Just Shift Cisco Systems’ Investment Narrative?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary argues that the semiconductor selloff may be temporary and that investor sentiment could stabilize within days, but it also revives concerns about the volatility of technology stocks. As Semis Sell Off, Rattled Investors Should Heed Last Millennium’s Lesson From Cisco Systems
• Negative Sentiment: Networking-industry coverage points to ongoing headwinds, while a Wall Street Zen downgrade to “Hold” likely reduced enthusiasm among some investors. Wall Street Zen Downgrades Cisco Systems to Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Cisco underperformed the broader market in the latest trading session, reflecting pressure across semiconductors and technology stocks. With a valuation near 34 times earnings, investors may be particularly sensitive to sector weakness and concerns about whether AI-driven growth can justify the premium.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 6,586 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.31, for a total value of $772,603.66. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 177,223 shares in the company, valued at $20,790,030.13. This trade represents a 3.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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 21,400 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total value of $2,568,642.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 637,085 shares in the company, valued at $76,469,312.55. The trade was a 3.25% decrease in their position. 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 47,650 shares of company stock valued at $5,668,823 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.01% of the company's stock.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

CSCO stock opened at $112.44 on Thursday. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $65.75 and a 1 year high of $130.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $443.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.51, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.92. The stock's fifty day moving average is $117.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.53.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $15.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.56 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.14% and a return on equity of 28.44%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.96 earnings per share. 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, research analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 6th were paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 6th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Cisco Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.55%.

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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