Evercore ISI Upgrades Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) to “Outperform”

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) was upgraded by investment analysts at Evercore ISI from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has a $100.00 target price on the network equipment provider’s stock, up from their prior target price of $80.00. Evercore ISI’s price objective points to a potential upside of 27.10% from the company’s current price.

CSCO has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Argus increased their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $80.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. HSBC increased their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Citic Securities upped their price objective on Cisco Systems from $75.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cisco Systems has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.81.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

Shares of CSCO stock opened at $78.68 on Monday. Cisco Systems has a one year low of $52.11 and a one year high of $80.82. The company has a market cap of $310.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.87. The firm has a 50-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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.02. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 18.38% and a return on equity of 27.29%. The business had revenue of $14.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.77 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.91 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Cisco Systems will post 3.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cisco Systems

In related news, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 164,584 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.85, for a total transaction of $12,812,864.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 196,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,316,053.30. The trade was a 45.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael D. Capellas sold 16,150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.28, for a total transaction of $1,248,072.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 157,218 shares in the company, valued at $12,149,807.04. This represents a 9.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,044,865 shares of company stock worth $81,397,635. 0.01% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cisco Systems

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CSCO. Emerald Advisors LLC raised its position in Cisco Systems by 5.9% during 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. bought a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the 4th quarter valued at about $205,000. Optas LLC raised 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 in the last quarter. Ticino Wealth bought a new stake in Cisco Systems in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,156,000. Finally, SageGuard Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter worth approximately $477,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.33% 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?

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.