NS Partners Ltd Takes Position in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

NS Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 75,094 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $8,821,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Cisco Systems in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management acquired a new position in Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Networth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 276.4% in the first quarter. Networth Advisors LLC now owns 335 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Cisco Systems during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 137.0% during the 1st quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Saudi AI expansion strengthens Cisco’s AI growth narrative. Cisco, AMD and Saudi Arabia-based HUMAIN said production AI infrastructure is now live, combining AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs and EPYC CPUs with Cisco Silicon One networking. The partners plan to add up to 250 megawatts of capacity beginning in 2027 and potentially reach 1 gigawatt by 2030, creating a significant long-term opportunity for Cisco’s AI networking business. AMD, Cisco and HUMAIN Expand Saudi Arabia’s AI Infrastructure as AMD Instinct Systems Go Live
• Positive Sentiment: Sovereign infrastructure broadens Cisco’s addressable market. Cisco is also introducing a Sovereign Critical Infrastructure portfolio in Canada for air-gapped, on-premises deployments. These offerings target governments and regulated industries that require strict data residency, security and operational control, potentially supporting higher-value infrastructure sales. How Investors Are Reacting To Cisco Systems Expanding Sovereign AI Infrastructure In Saudi Arabia
• Positive Sentiment: Recent performance and outside commentary remain supportive. Cisco has outperformed the broader telecommunications industry over the past year, while Jim Cramer reiterated a bullish view following the company’s record quarter. These factors may reinforce investor confidence, although they are less material than the company’s operating results and AI bookings. How Is Cisco Systems’ Stock Performance Compared to Other Telecommunications Stocks?
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will meet investors throughout September. Cisco executives are scheduled to participate in Goldman Sachs, Citi, Truist, Piper Sandler and other technology conferences. The meetings could provide updates on AI networking demand, margins and guidance, but no new financial targets were announced.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and guidance remain potential constraints. Despite the AI momentum, prior commentary has noted conservative guidance, and the stock’s elevated valuation leaves less room for disappointment if AI-related revenue growth or broader networking demand falls short of expectations. Jim Cramer delivers unmistakable verdict on vital tech giant

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Freedom Capital upgraded Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 16th. Evercore raised their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $110.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $86.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Citic Securities lifted their target price on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Cisco Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.43.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

CSCO stock opened at $110.49 on Tuesday. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $66.13 and a 12-month high of $130.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $114.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $101.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $435.49 billion, a PE ratio of 33.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.02.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.05. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.95% and a return on equity of 30.16%. The company had revenue of $17.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The company’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. As a group, research analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,170 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total transaction of $799,956.90. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 230,593 shares in the company, valued at $25,727,261.01. This trade represents a 3.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 6,487 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.53, for a total value of $723,495.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 167,116 shares in the company, valued at $18,638,447.48. The trade was a 3.74% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 53,611 shares of company stock worth $6,066,680. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.