Insider Selling: Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Insider Sells $799,956.90 in Stock

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) insider Jeetendra Patel sold 7,170 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total value of $799,956.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 230,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,727,261.01. The trade was a 3.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Cisco Systems Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of CSCO opened at $110.55 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $435.73 billion, a PE ratio of 33.10, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.02. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.13 and a 12 month high of $130.37. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $116.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.05. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 30.16% and a net margin of 20.95%.The firm had revenue of $17.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. Cisco Systems has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.050-5.110 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.320-1.340 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $96.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $100.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Zacks Research cut shares of Cisco Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, HSBC lowered Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $137.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.43.

Key Headlines Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco reported approximately $17.3 billion in quarterly revenue, up 18% year over year, and adjusted EPS of $1.22, exceeding the $1.17 consensus estimate. Management’s fiscal 2027 outlook was also optimistic, reinforcing expectations for continued growth. Strong AI Infrastructure Orders Drive Confidence in Cisco Systems
• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure demand remains a major growth driver. Cisco recorded $4 billion of AI infrastructure orders in the latest quarter, $9.3 billion for fiscal 2026, and expects $7.5 billion of AI infrastructure revenue in fiscal 2027. Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and $150 price target, indicating substantial potential upside if execution continues. BofA makes bold call on Cisco stock after earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts questioned how sustainable the AI-led growth surge will be and whether Cisco can convert strong orders into durable, profitable recurring revenue. A recent Freedom Capital upgrade to Strong Buy provides a counterpoint to the more cautious views. What Kept Coming Up When Analysts Grilled CSCO
• Negative Sentiment: Gross-margin pressure was the key earnings concern. Margins fell to about 66.3% and are expected to remain around 65%–66% in the next quarter, partly because of higher memory costs, hardware pricing, and an unfavorable product mix. Soft recurring growth and a premium valuation have led some analysts to recommend holding the stock despite strong revenue growth. Cisco: Buy The AI Pullback, But Watch The Margin Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: HSBC downgraded Cisco to Hold, while CEO Charles Robbins and other executives disclosed share sales. The transactions were conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, making them a modest negative signal rather than clear evidence of deteriorating management confidence.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cisco Systems

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Cisco Systems during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,442,000. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 15.4% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 198,549 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $13,905,000 after purchasing an additional 26,455 shares during the last quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 101.8% in 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. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 64,144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ABN AMRO Bank N.V. purchased a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the second quarter valued at approximately $19,114,000. 73.33% of the stock is 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.