Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 4.270-4.290 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 4.010. The company issued revenue guidance of $62.8 billion-$63.0 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $61.6 billion. Cisco Systems also updated its Q4 2026 guidance to 1.160-1.180 EPS.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

CSCO stock opened at $101.87 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $83.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $79.36. The company has a market cap of $402.38 billion, a PE ratio of 35.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Cisco Systems has a 12-month low of $60.85 and a 12-month high of $102.01.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $15.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.56 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 19.22% and a return on equity of 27.88%. The company’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.96 EPS. 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Cisco Systems will post 3.42 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CSCO. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. CICC Research raised their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $84.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Cisco Systems in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Cisco Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cisco Systems has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.29.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, SVP Maria Victoria Wong sold 2,179 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.74, for a total transaction of $169,395.46. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 28,807 shares in the company, valued at $2,239,456.18. This represents a 7.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Charles Robbins sold 19,545 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total value of $1,485,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 671,095 shares in the company, valued at $51,003,220. The trade was a 2.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 46,431 shares of company stock worth $3,574,820. Corporate insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco reported revenue of $15.84 billion, up 12% year over year and above Wall Street estimates, while adjusted EPS of $1.06 also topped expectations. Cisco Reports Third Quarter Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised full-year fiscal 2026 guidance, with revenue now projected at $62.8 billion-$63.0 billion and EPS at $4.27-$4.29, both above consensus, signaling confidence in demand trends. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco said AI infrastructure orders are surging, including about $9 billion in hyperscaler AI infrastructure orders for FY2026, reinforcing the market’s view that Cisco is becoming a bigger AI play. Article about AI infrastructure orders
• Positive Sentiment: The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, which supports its appeal to income-focused investors. MarketBeat dividend note
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco is cutting about 4,000 jobs as part of an AI-focused restructuring, with up to $1 billion in related charges; investors see this as a margin/efficiency move, but it also adds near-term execution risk. WSJ article

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cisco Systems

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Cisco Systems by 103.2% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 29,289,151 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,256,144,000 after acquiring an additional 14,874,407 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 21,102,912 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,625,558,000 after purchasing an additional 2,867,520 shares in the last quarter. Credit Agricole S A bought a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the 3rd quarter worth about $138,802,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 48,498,612 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,318,275,000 after purchasing an additional 1,631,703 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Cisco Systems by 301.6% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,081,451 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $160,334,000 after buying an additional 1,563,117 shares in the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.