Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Stock: Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI Decreases Stake

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI decreased its stake in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 487,946 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 9,037 shares during the quarter. Cisco Systems comprises about 3.3% of Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $52,518,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in CSCO. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,775 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,483,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares during the period. Mirador Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in Cisco Systems by 11.6% during the third quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 30,421 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $3,274,000 after purchasing an additional 3,159 shares during the period. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Cisco Systems by 40.6% during the third quarter. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,073 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $654,000 after buying an additional 1,753 shares during the last quarter. GK Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Cisco Systems during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Balefire LLC raised its stake in Cisco Systems by 51.9% in the third quarter. Balefire LLC now owns 12,102 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,303,000 after buying an additional 4,136 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI networking growth is driving optimism: Cisco is being positioned as a potential leader in AI cloud networking, supported by rising hyperscaler orders, AI infrastructure demand and a solid fiscal 2027 outlook. Buy Cisco Systems as Leader of the AI Cloud Networking Space for 2027
• Positive Sentiment: New AI products expand Cisco’s growth story: The company introduced agentic AI tools for Webex, workplace automation and customer experience, along with Google Meet compatibility for Cisco devices and upcoming RoomOS updates. These initiatives could support longer-term software and collaboration growth. Cisco unveils agentic AI tools across Webex, workplace and CX
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable: Coverage highlights Cisco’s recent momentum, fifth consecutive earnings beat and optimistic average brokerage recommendation, helping reinforce the bullish case for CSCO. Is Cisco a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Positive Sentiment: Board appointment adds technology expertise: Cisco appointed Girish Rishi to its board, bringing experience in data, AI, product development, supply chain and mergers and acquisitions. The appointment is strategically aligned with Cisco’s AI and networking priorities. Cisco Appoints Girish Rishi to its Board of Directors
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue growth is concentrated in products: Recent quarterly product revenue rose sharply to $13.459 billion, while services revenue was nearly flat at $3.793 billion. Strong product demand is encouraging, but limited services growth may constrain recurring-revenue expansion. Cisco’s Product Sales Surged. Why Were Services Almost Flat?
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and cooled momentum remain risks: After a substantial year-to-date advance, recent performance has weakened, while commentary questions whether Cisco’s valuation already reflects much of the AI opportunity. Cisco Could Be Entering a New Growth Phase

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cisco Systems news, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 5,832 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.47, for a total value of $650,093.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 128,382 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,310,741.54. The trade was a 4.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,170 shares of the company’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 sale, the insider directly owned 230,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,727,261.01. This represents a 3.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 44,869 shares of company stock valued at $5,005,620 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CSCO opened at $118.39 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $466.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s 50 day moving average is $112.18 and its 200-day moving average is $107.77. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $66.81 and a 1-year high of $130.37.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.05. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 30.16% and a net margin of 20.95%. The business had revenue of $17.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. The firm’s quarterly 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. Equities research analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Friday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 2nd. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 50.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price target on Cisco Systems from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Cisco Systems from $132.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.52.

Cisco Systems Company Profile

Cisco Systems, Inc is a global technology company that develops networking, cybersecurity, collaboration, observability and data center solutions. Its products and services help businesses, governments, educational institutions and other organizations connect users and devices, manage infrastructure, protect digital environments and support cloud-based operations.

Cisco’s portfolio includes routers and switches, wireless networking equipment, network management software, firewalls, identity and access tools, endpoint security products, collaboration applications and observability platforms.