Erste Asset Management GmbH Decreases Stock Holdings in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Erste Asset Management GmbH lessened its holdings in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 12.4% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,095,152 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 155,314 shares during the quarter. Cisco Systems makes up about 0.7% of Erste Asset Management GmbH’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $74,214,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the second quarter worth about $3,816,825,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main lifted its position in Cisco Systems by 413.3% during the 2nd quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 22,393,371 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $1,553,645,000 after acquiring an additional 18,030,441 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 46.2% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,836,858 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $2,833,261,000 after acquiring an additional 12,904,969 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 6,778.2% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,810,012 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $472,479,000 after acquiring an additional 6,711,004 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Cisco Systems by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 393,989,568 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,334,996,000 after acquiring an additional 5,039,714 shares in the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cisco Systems Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ CSCO opened at $78.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $77.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.65. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.11 and a 52-week high of $88.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $308.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.40, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.87.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $15.35 billion during 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a positive change from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on CSCO shares. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group raised their target price on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Cisco Systems from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Cisco Systems from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cisco Systems has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cisco Systems news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 11,248 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total value of $854,848.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 262,776 shares in the company, valued at $19,970,976. The trade was a 4.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kristina M. Johnson sold 13,481 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.13, for a total value of $1,039,789.53. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 61,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,753,521.90. This trade represents a 17.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 75,677 shares of company stock worth $5,811,211. Company insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting 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

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.