Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Updates Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) updated its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 1.160-1.180 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 1.040. The company issued revenue guidance of $16.7 billion-$16.9 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $15.8 billion. Cisco Systems also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.270-4.290 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CSCO. Evercore raised their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.29.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

Shares of Cisco Systems stock opened at $101.87 on Thursday. Cisco Systems has a twelve month low of $60.85 and a twelve month high of $102.01. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $79.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $402.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.92.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.03. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 19.22% and a return on equity of 27.88%. The firm had revenue of $15.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.56 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.96 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Analysts forecast that Cisco Systems will post 3.42 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.95%.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 11,248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total value of $854,848.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 262,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,970,976. This trade represents a 4.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Maria Victoria Wong sold 2,179 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 28,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,239,456.18. This represents a 7.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 46,431 shares of company stock worth $3,574,820. Corporate insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Cisco Systems News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco reported fiscal Q3 revenue of $15.8 billion, up 12% year over year, and EPS of $1.06, both ahead of Wall Street estimates, signaling broad-based demand strength. Cisco Reports Third Quarter Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: The company lifted full-year fiscal 2026 guidance to $62.8 billion-$63.0 billion in revenue and $4.27-$4.29 in EPS, well above consensus, which is a major catalyst for the stock. Cisco Lifts FY26 View After Strong Q3
• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm is being driven by accelerating AI-related demand, including roughly $9 billion in hyperscaler AI infrastructure orders, suggesting Cisco is gaining traction in a high-growth segment. Cisco outlines ~$9B FY 2026 hyperscaler AI infrastructure orders
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco announced a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, reinforcing shareholder returns alongside the operational improvement. Cisco Earnings Report Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also said it will cut fewer than 4,000 jobs as part of an AI-focused restructuring, which may support margins over time but also signals one-time costs and organizational change. Cisco to Cut Jobs in Shift to Capture More AI Demand

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cisco Systems

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA increased its position in Cisco Systems by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA now owns 13,656 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $1,052,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Cisco Systems by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,432 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners increased its position in Cisco Systems by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 5,154 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC increased its position in Cisco Systems by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC now owns 6,274 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $483,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keebeck Wealth Management increased its position in Cisco Systems by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management now owns 8,054 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $551,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.