Lighthouse Financial Services Inc. ADV Invests $4.86 Million in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Key Points

• Lighthouse Financial Services bought a new position in Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter, purchasing 63,108 shares worth about $4.86 million. The stake represents roughly 1.1% of the firm’s holdings.
• Cisco reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings per share of $1.04 versus estimates of $1.02 and revenue of $15.35 billion versus $15.11 billion expected. Revenue rose 9.7% year over year, and analysts expect full-year EPS of 3.42.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.42 per share, giving it an annualized yield of about 1.7%. Meanwhile, the stock was trading up 4.8% to $96.57, near its 52-week high.

Lighthouse Financial Services Inc. ADV purchased a new position in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 63,108 shares of the network equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,861,000. Cisco Systems makes up about 1.1% of Lighthouse Financial Services Inc. ADV's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its stake in Cisco Systems by 115.7% in the third quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 468 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Cisco Systems by 248.9% in the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 485 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cisco Systems Trading Up 4.8%

CSCO stock opened at $96.57 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $381.44 billion, a PE ratio of 33.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.92. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $59.44 and a one year high of $97.02. The company's 50 day moving average price is $82.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $15.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.11 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 19.22% and a return on equity of 27.88%. The business's revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.94 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Cisco Systems's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. Cisco Systems's payout ratio is 58.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 19,545 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total value of $1,485,420.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 671,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,003,220. This trade represents a 2.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 7,981 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total transaction of $634,489.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 187,097 shares in the company, valued at $14,874,211.50. This represents a 4.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 46,431 shares of company stock valued at $3,574,820. Insiders own 0.01% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on CSCO. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $90.29.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco is drawing heavier investor attention ahead of earnings, which can support trading volume and sentiment as traders position for a potential report-driven move. Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are continuing to frame Cisco’s investment case around its next quarterly results, with some views slightly improving fair value estimates, suggesting lingering confidence in the company’s fundamentals. How The Cisco Systems (CSCO) Investment Story Is Shifting As Analyst Views Diverge
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco is set to participate in multiple upcoming financial-community events in May and June, which keeps management visible to investors but does not directly change the fundamentals. Cisco to Participate in May & June Events with the Financial Community
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street estimates for Cisco’s upcoming quarter are being closely dissected, but this is mainly an expectations check ahead of earnings rather than a new business catalyst. Unlocking Q3 Potential of Cisco (CSCO): Exploring Wall Street Estimates for Key Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage noted Cisco shares underperformed the broader market and dropped in the latest session, showing some near-term pressure before the company’s next earnings catalyst. Cisco Systems (CSCO) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note

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.

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