Erste Asset Management GmbH Cuts Position in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Erste Asset Management GmbH lowered its holdings in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 12.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,095,152 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 155,314 shares during the quarter. Cisco Systems accounts for about 0.7% of Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $74,214,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CSCO. Andra AP fonden grew its position in Cisco Systems by 29.2% during the third quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 534,978 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $36,603,000 after buying an additional 120,800 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 14.2% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. now owns 52,429 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,587,000 after buying an additional 6,512 shares in the last quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC now owns 28,389 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $1,942,000 after buying an additional 725 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. boosted its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 400,352 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $27,392,000 after buying an additional 12,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Cisco Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,343,000. 73.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

CSCO stock opened at $78.10 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $308.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.11 and a 52-week high of $88.18. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $77.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.65.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $15.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.11 billion. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 27.88% and a net margin of 19.22%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.94 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.04 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be given a $0.42 dividend. This is a boost from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 57.54%.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In related news, SVP Maria Victoria Wong sold 2,179 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.74, for a total transaction of $169,395.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 28,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,239,456.18. This represents a 7.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 11,248 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total transaction of $854,848.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 262,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,970,976. This trade represents a 4.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 75,677 shares of company stock valued at $5,811,211 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Melius Research upped their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $84.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Cisco Systems from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Cisco Systems from $77.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Barclays boosted their price target on Cisco Systems from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.55.

Trending Headlines about Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results and AI-driven networking momentum — Cisco beat Q2 estimates (revenue up ~9.7% y/y) and analysts highlight accelerating networking sales tied to AI and campus upgrades, supporting revenue and gross‑profit leverage. Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems and Super Micro Computers
• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships and workforce initiatives expand go‑to‑market — Cisco launched regional AI/security initiatives and is expanding training and hiring pathways (e.g., Networking Academy partnership with Indeed in India), which should help adoption of its software/subscription stack over time. Cisco Networking Academy and Indeed Launch Global Partnership, Debut Dedicated Career Hub for India
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns — Cisco recently raised the quarterly dividend, reinforcing cash‑flow strength and making the stock more attractive to income investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate — Analysts and commentators are debating whether multi‑year share gains leave CSCO fairly priced, creating mixed signals for new buyers. Is Cisco Systems (CSCO) Fairly Priced After Strong Multi‑Year Share Price Gains?
• Neutral Sentiment: High‑profile comparisons — Market commentary (including Michael Burry’s remarks comparing Nvidia to Cisco) adds broad market noise about tech leadership cycles but does not directly change Cisco’s order book today. ‘Big Short’ Michael Burry warns Nvidia mirrors Cisco
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst views — Several firms have raised targets (Citigroup, JPMorgan, Bank of America) while others remain cautious; consensus remains a moderate buy with upside to ~?$89 on average.
• Negative Sentiment: Security disclosure — Cisco disclosed that a critical bug in a widely used product has been actively exploited since 2023; the U.S. and allies urged remediation. This raises near‑term remediation costs, potential contract/renewal risk with large customers and reputational headwinds. Cisco says hackers have been exploiting a critical bug to break into big customer networks since 2023
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — A senior VP disclosed a sale of ~2,179 shares, which can create short‑term perception pressure even if not large vs. institutional ownership. SEC Filing – Insider Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Margin concerns and downgrade — At least one analyst lowered their rating to Hold over gross‑margin worries, which could limit multiple expansion if margins don’t stabilize. Erste Group Downgrades Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) to Hold on Margin Concerns

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.