Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Trading 2.2% Higher Following Analyst Upgrade

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) traded up 2.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating. The stock traded as high as $78.91 and last traded at $78.68. 17,570,979 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 6% from the average session volume of 18,634,693 shares. The stock had previously closed at $77.01.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on CSCO. Argus boosted their price target on Cisco Systems from $80.00 to $100.00 in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Cisco Systems from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $80.00 to $100.00 in a report on Monday. Finally, Citic Securities increased their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $75.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Monday, November 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.81.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 1,745 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total transaction of $138,657.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 176,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,010,307.74. The trade was a 0.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael D. Capellas sold 10,850 shares of the firm’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 sale, the director owned 146,368 shares in the company, valued at $11,289,363.84. The trade was a 6.90% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 1,044,865 shares of company stock worth $81,397,635 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst upgrades pushed optimism — Evercore ISI raised CSCO to “Outperform” and Zacks upgraded the stock to “Strong-Buy,” prompting buy-side attention and short-term buying. Evercore ISI Upgrade Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction to the upgrades: coverage noted CSCO trading up following analyst action, reinforcing the short-term lift from broker sentiment. Trading Up After Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Local deals and product relevance stories (e.g., Georgetown’s Wi‑Fi 7 overhaul using Cisco gear) highlight demand for Cisco networking in campus/AI-edge projects — supportive for long-term revenue but not an immediate catalyst. Georgetown Wi‑Fi 7 Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Contributor piece and analyst roundup coverage (Wall Street calls, “moderate buy” consensus articles) are adding attention but contain mixed views — useful context but not decisive by itself. Analyst Calls Roundup Analyst Consensus
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data looks anomalous (entries show 0 shares and NaN changes); this appears to be a data error and is unlikely to be a real market-moving factor today.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Chuck Robbins warned of potential “AI carnage” where winners and losers emerge as AI spending evolves — comments add caution about future demand concentration and execution risk. Robbins AI Warning
• Negative Sentiment: Some outlets (e.g., a Forbes analysis) argue CSCO could face downside and even suggest selling — such bearish takes can pressure sentiment among retail and momentum traders. Forbes Sell Thesis

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bare Financial Services Inc increased its stake in Cisco Systems by 531.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the period. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Cisco Systems during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Cisco Systems by 96.2% during the 3rd quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 408 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cisco Systems Trading Up 0.4%

The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $76.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.97. The company has a market capitalization of $311.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.68, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.87.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.02. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 27.29% and a net margin of 18.38%.The business had revenue of $14.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.91 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.04 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 21st. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 2nd. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is presently 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.