Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Shares Sold by Confluence Investment Management LLC

Confluence Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 2.5% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 820,548 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 21,239 shares during the quarter. Cisco Systems makes up approximately 1.3% of Confluence Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $88,316,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CSCO. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Cisco Systems during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,129,647,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in Cisco Systems by 7.0% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 207,106,569 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $25,278,492,000 after purchasing an additional 13,512,872 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 59,836,782 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $4,609,227,000 after purchasing an additional 6,224,062 shares in the last quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 8,718.3% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 51,952,421 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $400,190,000 after purchasing an additional 51,363,281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 50,320,905 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,876,219,000 after purchasing an additional 7,679,422 shares during the period. 73.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CSCO has been the topic of several recent research reports. HSBC downgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $137.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, August 14th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $132.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen raised Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 20th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Cisco Systems from $121.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Cisco Systems presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.52.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ CSCO traded up $0.45 on Thursday, hitting $108.08. 4,054,147 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,585,256. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $66.81 and a fifty-two week high of $130.37. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $112.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $106.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $426.12 billion, a PE ratio of 32.34, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.00.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $17.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.84 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.95% and a return on equity of 30.16%. The company’s revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. Cisco Systems has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.050-5.110 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.320-1.340 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 2nd. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is 50.30%.

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In other news, EVP Thimaya Subaiya sold 312 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.18, for a total transaction of $34,376.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 127,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,065,688.98. This represents a 0.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,628 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.54, for a total value of $2,412,387.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 602,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,226,273.40. The trade was a 3.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 44,869 shares of company stock worth $5,005,620 over the last three months. Company 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: Cisco reportedly delivered its fifth consecutive earnings beat, while AI-infrastructure orders accumulated faster than Wall Street expected. The stock remains well below its 52-week high, supporting an argument that the AI opportunity is not fully reflected in the valuation. The Boring Tech Stock With an AI Tailwind Has 17% Upside
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco and Bell Canada agreed to develop sovereign AI infrastructure for Canada, combining Bell’s data centers and network operations with Cisco’s AI, security, observability and critical-infrastructure technologies. The memorandum could strengthen Cisco’s position in regulated markets, although it does not yet include disclosed revenue commitments. Bell and Cisco to collaborate on sovereign AI infrastructure for Canada
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco will distribute a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share on October 21, reinforcing the stock’s appeal to income investors. Broader growth in industrial-control-system security also offers a potential long-term tailwind for Cisco’s cybersecurity business. Cisco Systems to Distribute Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein initiated coverage with a “market perform” rating and a $110 price target, implying limited near-term upside. The rating suggests analysts see balanced potential rather than a decisive catalyst. Bernstein initiates coverage of Cisco Systems at market perform
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler lowered its Cisco price target to $125, adding pressure after the stock’s strong run. Commentary also highlights that AI represented only about 6% of fiscal 2026 revenue, meaning investors need sustained growth across Cisco’s larger networking and security businesses to justify its elevated valuation. Piper Sandler cuts target for Cisco Systems stock
• Negative Sentiment: A report that Cisco’s operations platform is facing roughly 4,100 daily alerts underscores a potential bottleneck in managing AI-driven complexity. Separately, concerns about price competition from Chinese suppliers and open-weight AI models could pressure margins and slow the AI growth narrative. Cisco Stock Slips as 4,100 Daily Alerts Force AgenticOps

Cisco Systems Company Profile

Cisco Systems, Inc is a global technology company that develops networking, cybersecurity, collaboration, observability and data center solutions. Its products and services help businesses, governments, educational institutions and other organizations connect users and devices, manage infrastructure, protect digital environments and support cloud-based operations.

Cisco’s portfolio includes routers and switches, wireless networking equipment, network management software, firewalls, identity and access tools, endpoint security products, collaboration applications and observability platforms.