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Cisco Systems (CSCO) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Cisco Systems logo
$109.20 0.00 (0.00%)
As of 09/4/2026 04:00 PM Eastern

Cisco Systems - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
0
Hold
7
Buy
18

Based on 25 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Cisco Systems in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 25 analysts, 7 have given a hold rating, 16 have given a buy rating, and 2 have given a strong buy rating for CSCO.

Consensus Price Target

$129.68
18.76% Upside
According to the 25 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Cisco Systems, the average price target is $129.68. The highest price target for CSCO is $165.00, while the lowest price target for CSCO is $88.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 18.76% from the current price of $109.20.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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CSCO Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
9/7/25 to 9/7/26
1 Month Ago
8/8/25 to 8/8/26
3 Months Ago
6/9/25 to 6/9/26
1 Year Ago
9/7/24 to 9/7/25
Strong Buy
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
16 Buy rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
16 Buy rating(s)
12 Buy rating(s)
Hold
7 Hold rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
8 Hold rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
Sell
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$129.68$123.14$120.18$74.53
Forecasted Upside18.76% Upside1.41% Upside-0.15% Downside11.40% Upside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate Buy

CSCO Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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CSCO Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
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Cisco Systems Stock vs. The Competition

TypeCisco SystemsTechnology CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.80
2.23
2.53
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside18.76% Upside411.35% Upside14.03% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent CSCO News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
9/1/2026Initiated CoverageHoldBuy$135.00+22.18%
8/26/2026
Weiss Ratings logo
Weiss Ratings
5 of 5 stars
 Reiterated RatingBuy (B)
8/16/2026 UpgradeHoldStrong-Buy
8/14/2026DowngradeBuyHold$137.00 ➝ $120.00+5.75%
8/13/2026Boost TargetBuy$132.00 ➝ $138.00+21.62%
8/13/2026Boost TargetBuy$125.00 ➝ $140.00+23.93%
8/13/2026Boost TargetOverweight$130.00 ➝ $150.00+31.31%
8/13/2026Boost TargetEqual Weight$121.00 ➝ $123.00+7.67%
8/13/2026Boost TargetOverweight$130.00 ➝ $135.00+8.98%
8/13/2026Boost TargetBuy$150.00 ➝ $165.00+33.19%
8/13/2026Boost TargetOverweight$130.00 ➝ $135.00+8.98%
8/4/2026 DowngradeStrong-BuyHold
6/8/2026Boost TargetBuy$135.00 ➝ $150.00+18.97%
6/3/2026 Boost TargetNeutral$116.00 ➝ $125.00-1.47%
5/19/2026 Boost TargetBuy$100.00 ➝ $150.00+29.87%
5/18/2026 Boost TargetOutperform$96.00 ➝ $125.00+7.62%
5/15/2026 Boost Target$90.00 ➝ $130.00+10.70%
5/14/2026 Boost TargetOutperform$110.00 ➝ $150.00+28.35%
5/14/2026 Boost TargetOutperform$87.00 ➝ $132.00+12.95%
5/14/2026Boost TargetNeutral$86.00 ➝ $132.00+12.95%
5/14/2026Boost TargetBuy$90.00 ➝ $112.00-4.27%
5/14/2026 Boost TargetNeutral$82.00 ➝ $122.00+4.32%
5/11/2026Boost Target$95.00 ➝ $96.00-0.58%
2/18/2026 DowngradeBuyHold
2/13/2026 UpgradeStrong-Buy
12/24/2025 Lower Target$90.00 ➝ $88.00+12.79%
11/13/2025Boost TargetBuy$84.00 ➝ $100.00+35.21%
8/14/2025 UpgradeHold
7/8/2025Initiated CoveragePeer Perform
10/14/2024Boost TargetBuy$76.00 ➝ $78.00+43.86%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Monday at 02:08 AM ET.


Should I Buy Cisco Systems Stock? CSCO Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Friday, September 4, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Cisco Systems pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Cisco Systems
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Cisco:

  • Cisco reported strong second-quarter results with revenue of $17.25 billion, beating the consensus estimate of $16.84 billion and marking a 17.6% year-over-year increase, which signals robust demand for its networking infrastructure as enterprises prepare for AI integration.
  • The company has significantly raised its full-year 2027 earnings per share guidance to a range of $5.05 to $5.11, well above the consensus estimate of $4.64, indicating management confidence in sustained growth and profitability beyond the current fiscal year.
  • Analyst sentiment has shifted strongly positive, with the consensus price target rising to $129.43 as of August 2026, reflecting a "Moderate Buy" rating that suggests substantial upside potential from the current stock price of $109.20.
  • Institutional investors are increasing their stakes in the company, with funds like NEOS Investment Management and Tudor Financial significantly boosting their holdings in the second quarter, indicating growing confidence among professional money managers in Cisco's long-term trajectory.
  • Cisco maintains a stable dividend yield of 1.53% with a payout ratio of 50.30%, providing income to shareholders while retaining sufficient capital to fund its expanding software and AI infrastructure initiatives.

Cisco Systems
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in Cisco for these reasons:

  • Corporate insiders have been consistently selling shares, with executives including CEO Charles Robbins and multiple EVPs selling over 53,000 shares valued at approximately $6 million in the last quarter, which may signal internal caution about the stock's current valuation.
  • The stock has experienced significant volatility following its earnings release, dropping from a high of $123.88 on August 12 to the current price of $109.20, suggesting that the market may be pricing in a peak for the current networking super-cycle.
  • Cisco faces cybersecurity risks, as recently disclosed by the company regarding a China-linked group targeting its IOS XR routers in a cyber espionage campaign, which could impact customer trust and require costly remediation efforts.
  • The company's valuation has expanded to a P/E ratio of 32.69, which is high for a mature networking firm and leaves little margin for error if growth rates slow or if the AI infrastructure demand does not materialize as projected.
  • Short interest remains notable with approximately 58.9 million shares shorted as of August 2026, indicating that a segment of the market is betting against the stock's performance, which could lead to further price pressure if sentiment turns negative.

CSCO Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 25 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Cisco Systems is $129.68, with a high forecast of $165.00 and a low forecast of $88.00.

25 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Cisco Systems in the last year. There are currently 7 hold ratings, 16 buy ratings and 2 strong buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" CSCO shares.

According to analysts, Cisco Systems's stock has a predicted upside of 18.76% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Cisco Systems's stock had 2 upgrades and 2 downgrades by analysts.

Analysts like Cisco Systems more than other "technology" companies. The consensus rating for Cisco Systems is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "technology" companies is Hold. Learn more on how CSCO compares to other companies.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Cisco Systems analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 9/1/2026.
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