Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Stock Price Up 2.1% – Still a Buy?

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) shares rose 2.1% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $117.25 and last traded at $115.99. Approximately 18,777,406 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 21% from the average session volume of 23,629,416 shares. The stock had previously closed at $113.56.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CSCO. CICC Research upped their price target on Cisco Systems from $96.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Cisco Systems from $86.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Barclays boosted their target price on Cisco Systems from $76.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on Cisco Systems from $87.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.14.

Cisco Systems Trading Up 2.1%

The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $117.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $95.95. The company has a market cap of $457.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.66, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 6th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 6th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is presently 54.55%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 2,607 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.12, for a total transaction of $315,759.84. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 172,727 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,920,694.24. This represents a 1.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 6,586 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.31, for a total transaction of $772,603.66. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 177,223 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,790,030.13. This represents a 3.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 47,650 shares of company stock worth $5,668,823. Corporate insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cisco Systems

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management purchased a new position in Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Networth Advisors LLC increased its position 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. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 137.0% during the 1st quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.