Norges Bank Makes New $4.47 Billion Investment in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Key Points

• Norges Bank bought a new stake in Cisco Systems worth about $4.47 billion, acquiring 58.1 million shares and ending the quarter with roughly 1.47% ownership of the company.
• Cisco’s latest earnings beat expectations, with $1.06 EPS on $15.84 billion in revenue, and the company also raised its forward guidance for Q4 2026 and FY 2026.
• Wall Street sentiment has turned more optimistic: multiple firms lifted price targets, and Cisco now carries a Moderate Buy consensus rating with a $119.09 average price target.

Norges Bank acquired a new position in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 58,071,810 shares of the network equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,473,272,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 1.47% of Cisco Systems at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CSCO. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 248.9% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 485 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors own 73.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CSCO. Citigroup raised their price target on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $96.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Cisco Systems from $75.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Cisco Systems from $87.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Cisco Systems to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Cisco Systems currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $119.09.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

NASDAQ CSCO opened at $120.42 on Friday. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $62.30 and a one year high of $121.43. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $93.45 and a 200 day moving average of $83.18. The company has a market capitalization of $474.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.10, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.92.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 28.44% and a net margin of 20.14%.The company had revenue of $15.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.56 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.96 EPS. Cisco Systems's revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.44 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 6th. Cisco Systems's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.55%.

Key Headlines Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Cisco to $135 from $114 and reiterated a Buy rating, citing stronger demand for high-speed optical networking gear tied to AI infrastructure spending. BofA raises Cisco, Ciena targets as AI optics boom accelerates
• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt also lifted its price target on Cisco to $150 from $100 and kept a Buy rating after Cisco’s latest quarterly results, reinforcing optimism around earnings and guidance. Rosenblatt Raises its Price Target on Cisco Systems (CSCO)
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage continues to frame Cisco as a beneficiary of AI-driven networking and security spending, with multiple stories highlighting record results and strong momentum. AI Buildout Fuels Record Results for These Companies
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco joined the EnterpriseClaw AI automation platform alongside NVIDIA, Okta, and OpenAI, reinforcing its security and AI relevance in enterprise workflows. Cisco Joins EnterpriseClaw To Link AI Automation With Security And Valuation Risks
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary pieces are highlighting Cisco as a “throwback” tech stock that still fits into the AI trade, but these articles are mostly market commentary rather than new fundamentals. Dell, Cisco: How 'throwback' tech stocks fit into the AI trade
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,400 shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan, which is notable but does not necessarily point to changing fundamentals. SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media reports continue to note that Cisco has outperformed the broader technology sector, but that view largely reflects recent price strength already in place. Cisco Systems Stock: Is CSCO Outperforming the Technology Sector?

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cisco Systems news, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 1,744 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.07, for a total value of $134,410.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 156,693 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,076,329.51. This trade represents a 1.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 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 three months. 0.01% of the stock is currently 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.

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