Insider Selling: Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) CEO Sells $2,412,387.12 in Stock

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,628 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.54, for a total transaction of $2,412,387.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 602,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,226,273.40. This trade represents a 3.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Charles Robbins also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, May 22nd, Charles Robbins sold 21,400 shares of Cisco Systems stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total transaction of $2,568,642.00.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

Shares of CSCO stock opened at $110.55 on Thursday. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $66.13 and a 12-month high of $130.37. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $116.47 and its 200-day simple moving average 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. The company has a market cap of $435.73 billion, a PE ratio of 33.10, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.02.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The business’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. Analysts expect that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on CSCO shares. New Street Research lifted their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $82.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. CICC Research raised their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $96.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.43.

Cisco Systems News Roundup

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 Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,129,647,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,473,272,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 8,718.3% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 51,952,421 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $400,190,000 after purchasing an additional 51,363,281 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems during the second quarter worth $5,892,379,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems during the second quarter worth $4,714,574,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

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.