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

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have assigned a buy recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $128.52.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on CSCO shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen cut Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 3rd. Truist Financial raised their target price on Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Zacks Research upgraded Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 16th.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

Cisco Systems stock opened at $114.89 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $452.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $112.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.93. Cisco Systems has a 1 year low of $66.81 and a 1 year high of $130.37.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.05. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.95% and a return on equity of 30.16%. The company had revenue of $17.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems will post 4.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Friday, October 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.30%.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco unveiled agentic AI capabilities across Webex, workplace solutions and customer experience. The updates include AI agents that can analyze data, generate content and execute tasks using enterprise context, potentially creating new growth opportunities and strengthening Cisco’s competitive position in enterprise collaboration. Cisco Unveils New Agentic Collaboration Experiences
• Positive Sentiment: Additional product announcements included a Google Meet partnership for Cisco devices, a new customer-experience platform, RoomOS 27 and a FIPS-validated post-quantum security application. These offerings could support demand for Cisco’s collaboration, security and networking portfolio. Cisco unveils agentic AI tools across Webex, workplace and CX
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted Cisco’s fifth consecutive earnings beat and strong AI-infrastructure orders, suggesting that demand related to artificial intelligence could be moving the company into a faster-growth phase. Cisco’s latest reported quarter also included revenue growth and earnings above analyst expectations. Cisco Could Be Entering a New Growth Phase
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors remain divided over whether Cisco’s AI momentum is fully reflected in the stock. With shares near their 52-week high and trading at a relatively rich earnings multiple, further gains may depend on sustained order growth, margin performance and successful execution of the AI strategy. Cisco Systems Sees a More Significant Dip Than Broader Market
• Negative Sentiment: A report that Webex AI agents may continue working after calls end raised concerns about reliability, user control and enterprise deployment risk. Such issues could slow adoption of Cisco’s new AI features and weighed on sentiment despite the broader product rollout. Cisco Stocks Slip as Webex Agents Keep Working After Calls

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In other news, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 312 shares of the firm’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 sale, the executive vice president owned 127,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,065,688.98. This trade represents a 0.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,628 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 602,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,226,273.40. This trade represents a 3.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 have sold 44,869 shares of company stock valued at $5,005,620 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cisco Systems

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 1,199,406 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $132,415,000 after purchasing an additional 48,400 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 45.3% during the third quarter. Diversified Management Inc. now owns 25,250 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $2,821,000 after buying an additional 7,875 shares in the last quarter. Green Ridge Wealth Planning LLC grew its position in Cisco Systems by 1.5% during the third quarter. Green Ridge Wealth Planning LLC now owns 6,017 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $648,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Acropolis Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Cisco Systems by 3.2% in the third quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 11,140 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,199,000 after buying an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Heartland Consultants Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 20.1% during the 3rd quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 7,332 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $789,000 after acquiring an additional 1,226 shares during the period. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.