Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Trading Up 3.2% Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) were up 3.2% during trading on Monday after Evercore ISI upgraded the stock from an in-line rating to an outperform rating. Evercore ISI now has a $100.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $80.00. Cisco Systems traded as high as $77.42 and last traded at $77.01. Approximately 24,567,544 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 31% from the average daily volume of 18,691,336 shares. The stock had previously closed at $74.59.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. President Capital cut their price objective on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $88.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. HSBC boosted their target price on Cisco Systems from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Cisco Systems from $82.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Erste Group Bank raised Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.81.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 116,734 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.30, for a total transaction of $9,023,538.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 704,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,431,026.90. The trade was a 14.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael D. Capellas sold 10,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.13, for a total transaction of $836,860.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 146,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,289,363.84. This represents a 6.90% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,044,865 shares of company stock worth $81,397,635. Corporate insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

More Cisco Systems News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI upgraded CSCO to “Outperform” and lifted its price target to $100 (from $80), giving the stock visible upside and providing a catalyst for buyer demand. Cisco (CSCO) Stock: Why This Tech Bargain Just Got Upgraded
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco launched the “Cisco 360 Partner Program,” positioning its partner ecosystem to sell AI-ready data centers and workplace solutions — a strategic push that should help convert AI demand into sales. Cisco Launches New Cisco 360 Partner Program, Built with Partners for the AI Era
• Positive Sentiment: Customer wins spotlighting Cisco’s AI networking edge — e.g., Georgetown’s Wi‑Fi 7 overhaul using Cisco tech — help validate product demand and real-world AI-networking deployments. Does Georgetown’s Wi‑Fi 7 Overhaul With Cisco (CSCO) Redefine Its Campus AI Networking Edge?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment broadly lifted: multiple outlets note analysts raising targets and an overall “Moderate Buy” consensus, which supports market confidence but is not a guaranteed catalyst for sustained upside. Cisco Systems Trending as Analysts Lift Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco’s report on AI-driven privacy investment shows strong enterprise focus on governance and security — a favorable industry trend for Cisco’s security and networking offerings, though indirect as a near-term stock mover. AI Fuels Surge in Data Privacy Investments and Redefines Governance, Cisco Reports
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data in recent filings shows effectively zero days-to-cover (reported zero shares), so short-squeeze dynamics are not a factor in today’s move. (Internal short-interest summary)
• Negative Sentiment: A Forbes analysis argues Cisco may be overvalued and suggests a bearish scenario where shares could revisit much lower levels; that piece may temper gains and encourage profit-taking for some investors. Is It Time To Sell Cisco Stock?

Institutional Trading of Cisco Systems

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CSCO. Emerald Advisors LLC grew its stake in Cisco Systems by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Emerald Advisors LLC now owns 24,080 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,855,000 after purchasing an additional 1,335 shares in the last quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the 4th quarter worth about $205,000. Optas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 189.1% during the 4th quarter. Optas LLC now owns 41,002 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,158,000 after buying an additional 26,818 shares during the last quarter. Ticino Wealth bought a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,156,000. Finally, SageGuard Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $477,000. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 2.2%

The stock has a market cap of $310.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a fifty day moving average of $76.63 and a 200 day moving average of $71.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $14.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.77 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 18.38% and a return on equity of 27.29%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.91 earnings per share. Cisco Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.080-4.140 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.010-1.030 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.65%.

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.