Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $119.0909.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $100.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. HSBC raised shares of Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $77.00 to $137.00 in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. They set a “buy” rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. DZ Bank raised shares of Cisco Systems to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CSCO opened at $120.42 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market cap of $474.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.10, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $93.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.26. Cisco Systems has a 12 month low of $62.30 and a 12 month high of $121.43.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $15.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.56 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.14% and a return on equity of 28.44%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.96 EPS. Cisco Systems has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.160-1.180 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.270-4.290 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Cisco Systems will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is presently 54.55%.

Key Headlines Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Cisco to $135 from $114 and reiterated a Buy rating, citing stronger demand for high-speed optical networking gear tied to AI infrastructure spending. BofA raises Cisco, Ciena targets as AI optics boom accelerates
• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt also lifted its price target on Cisco to $150 from $100 and kept a Buy rating after Cisco’s latest quarterly results, reinforcing optimism around earnings and guidance. Rosenblatt Raises its Price Target on Cisco Systems (CSCO)
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage continues to frame Cisco as a beneficiary of AI-driven networking and security spending, with multiple stories highlighting record results and strong momentum. AI Buildout Fuels Record Results for These Companies
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco joined the EnterpriseClaw AI automation platform alongside NVIDIA, Okta, and OpenAI, reinforcing its security and AI relevance in enterprise workflows. Cisco Joins EnterpriseClaw To Link AI Automation With Security And Valuation Risks
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary pieces are highlighting Cisco as a “throwback” tech stock that still fits into the AI trade, but these articles are mostly market commentary rather than new fundamentals. Dell, Cisco: How ‘throwback’ tech stocks fit into the AI trade
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,400 shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan, which is notable but does not necessarily point to changing fundamentals. SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media reports continue to note that Cisco has outperformed the broader technology sector, but that view largely reflects recent price strength already in place. Cisco Systems Stock: Is CSCO Outperforming the Technology Sector?

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 7,981 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total transaction of $634,489.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 187,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,874,211.50. The trade was a 4.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,169 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.28, for a total transaction of $840,780.32. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 246,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,937,315.36. The trade was a 2.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 51,324 shares of company stock worth $5,559,834. Insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. World Investment Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 198,549 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $13,905,000 after acquiring an additional 26,455 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 686,469 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,165,000 after acquiring an additional 56,057 shares during the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 213.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 20,497 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,402,000 after acquiring an additional 13,966 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 40.0% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 3,490,482 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $238,818,000 after acquiring an additional 997,738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ABN AMRO Bank N.V. increased its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 126.3% in the 3rd quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. now owns 176,715 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $12,018,000 after acquiring an additional 98,630 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

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.