Mariner Investment Group LLC Takes $105.69 Million Position in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Mariner Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 1,372,000 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $105,685,000. Cisco Systems accounts for approximately 6.2% of Mariner Investment Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Cisco Systems in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,473,272,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 103.2% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 29,289,151 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,256,144,000 after acquiring an additional 14,874,407 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 110.2% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 18,406,442 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $1,259,369,000 after acquiring an additional 9,648,265 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted 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 worth $3,876,219,000 after acquiring an additional 7,679,422 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 59,836,782 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $4,609,227,000 after acquiring an additional 6,224,062 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In other news, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 6,586 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.31, for a total transaction of $772,603.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 177,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,790,030.13. This represents a 3.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 7,127 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.91, for a total value of $854,598.57. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 140,857 shares in the company, valued at $16,890,162.87. The trade was a 4.82% 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 47,650 shares of company stock valued at $5,668,823. 0.01% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CSCO shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research downgraded Cisco Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Cisco Systems in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on Cisco Systems from $76.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, CICC Research raised their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $96.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cisco Systems presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.90.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:CSCO opened at $119.54 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $105.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.92. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 1-year low of $65.72 and a 1-year high of $130.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $471.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.01.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last posted its quarterly 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 20.14% and a return on equity of 28.44%. The business had revenue of $15.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.96 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

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

Cisco Systems News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco is being highlighted by Zacks and other market coverage as a beneficiary of the AI infrastructure buildout, with demand for networking gear and enterprise AI adoption supporting the bullish case for the stock. Why Cisco Systems (CSCO) Outpaced the Stock Market Today
• Positive Sentiment: Rhino Networks’ comments on Cisco’s unified networking strategy for SMBs reinforced the idea that Cisco’s Meraki and traditional networking portfolios are converging into a stronger, more compelling platform for customers modernizing their networks. Todd Carriker, CEO of Rhino Networks, Addresses Cisco’s Unified Networking Strategy for SMB Market
• Positive Sentiment: Equinix expanded partnerships with Cisco and NVIDIA to accelerate enterprise AI adoption, which may signal growing ecosystem demand for Cisco’s networking and data-center products. Equinix Strengthens AI Infrastructure With Cisco & NVIDIA Partnerships
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco was also included in bullish “blue-chip stocks to buy” coverage, adding to the constructive tone around the name and supporting investor interest. Dow Achieves a New Milestone: 4 Blue-Chip Stocks to Buy

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.