Kensington Investment Counsel LLC Grows Position in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Kensington Investment Counsel LLC raised its stake in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 775.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 71,387 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 63,233 shares during the period. Cisco Systems accounts for 2.7% of Kensington Investment Counsel LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $5,539,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CSCO. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Networth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Cisco Systems by 276.4% during the first quarter. Networth Advisors LLC now owns 335 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 137.0% in the 1st quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Cisco Systems during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,169 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.28, for a total transaction of $840,780.32. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 246,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,937,315.36. This trade represents a 2.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,400 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total transaction of $2,568,642.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 637,085 shares in the company, valued at $76,469,312.55. This represents a 3.25% 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 have sold 47,650 shares of company stock worth $5,668,823 over the last ninety days. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cisco Systems Trading Down 2.7%

NASDAQ CSCO opened at $112.44 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.92. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $65.75 and a one year high of $130.37. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $117.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $95.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $443.17 billion, a PE ratio of 36.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.02.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $15.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.56 billion. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 28.44% and a net margin of 20.14%.The business’s revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.96 earnings per share. 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, July 6th were given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 6th. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CSCO has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $76.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Argus lifted their price target 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. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Cisco Systems from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cisco Systems has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.14.

Cisco Systems News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights Cisco’s AI-related cloud demand and enterprise digital-transformation exposure, identifying CSCO alongside Alphabet and Cloudflare as a cloud-computing stock benefiting from increased AI infrastructure spending. 3 Top Cloud Computing Stocks Worth Buying Before August
• Positive Sentiment: An analysis of Cisco’s new AI and quantum-safe security alliances suggests the partnerships could strengthen the company’s cybersecurity positioning and support a more growth-oriented investment narrative over time. Did Cisco’s New AI and Quantum-Safe Security Alliances Just Shift Cisco Systems’ Investment Narrative?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary argues that the semiconductor selloff may be temporary and that investor sentiment could stabilize within days, but it also revives concerns about the volatility of technology stocks. As Semis Sell Off, Rattled Investors Should Heed Last Millennium’s Lesson From Cisco Systems
• Negative Sentiment: Networking-industry coverage points to ongoing headwinds, while a Wall Street Zen downgrade to “Hold” likely reduced enthusiasm among some investors. Wall Street Zen Downgrades Cisco Systems to Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Cisco underperformed the broader market in the latest trading session, reflecting pressure across semiconductors and technology stocks. With a valuation near 34 times earnings, investors may be particularly sensitive to sector weakness and concerns about whether AI-driven growth can justify the premium.

Cisco Systems Company Profile

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.