Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Shares Down 2.9% Following Insider Selling

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)’s share price traded down 2.9% on Tuesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $114.79 and last traded at $115.38. 32,240,803 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 38% from the average session volume of 23,423,938 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.88.

Specifically, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,169 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.28, for a total transaction of $840,780.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 246,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,937,315.36. This represents a 2.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 6,586 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.31, for a total transaction of $772,603.66. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 177,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,790,030.13. The trade was a 3.58% 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. In other Cisco Systems news, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 2,761 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.61, for a total transaction of $316,438.21. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 180,877 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,730,312.97. This represents a 1.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. HSBC raised shares of Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $77.00 to $137.00 in a research report on Friday, May 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $96.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Argus increased their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $100.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Zacks Research cut shares of Cisco Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane increased their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $87.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Cisco Systems has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.14.

Key Headlines Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Recent articles continue to frame Cisco as an AI winner, citing its importance in networking and connectivity for the AI buildout and positioning the company as a long-term infrastructure play. Cisco Systems (CSCO): The AI Winner in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street optimism remains strong after Cisco’s recent earnings beat and raised guidance, with analysts and market commentators pointing to solid revenue growth, better-than-expected EPS, and improving demand tied to AI infrastructure. Impressive Financial Results Assert Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) as a Top Tech Stock in Ken Fisher’s Portfolio
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco’s AI infrastructure push and momentum have drawn additional bullish attention, with reports noting strong stock momentum and upgraded price targets from major firms such as HSBC. Cisco’s AI Infrastructure Push Drives Stock Momentum Score Up As Rosenblatt Sees 30% Upside Cisco (CSCO) Gets Major Price Target Increase from HSBC
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco’s collaboration with Automation Anywhere, NVIDIA, Okta, and OpenAI on an AI-agent platform underscores its strategic relevance, but the announcement does not yet appear to be a near-term revenue catalyst. Cisco Ties AI Agent Push To Data Center Connectivity Standards
• Negative Sentiment: A Benzinga technical note warned that Cisco may be approaching a gap-fill setup, which can signal the possibility of a quick move lower after the recent run-up. Stock Of The Day: Will Cisco Fill The Gap?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sales by Cisco executives, including Oliver Tuszik, could create a modest headwind for sentiment even though the trades were made under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans. Oliver Tuszik Sells 2,761 Shares of Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Stock

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $88.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $465.88 billion, a PE ratio of 38.38, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.92.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.03. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.14% and a return on equity of 28.44%. The firm had revenue of $15.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.56 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.96 EPS. The company’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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cisco Systems

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Cisco Systems by 6.9% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,189,645 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $218,236,000 after buying an additional 205,043 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors grew its position in Cisco Systems by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 198,549 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $13,905,000 after buying an additional 26,455 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in Cisco Systems by 8.9% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 686,469 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,165,000 after buying an additional 56,057 shares during the period. Rockland Trust Co. grew its position in Cisco Systems by 213.8% during the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 20,497 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,402,000 after buying an additional 13,966 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Cisco Systems by 40.0% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 3,490,482 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $238,818,000 after buying an additional 997,738 shares during the period. 73.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Cisco Systems

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.