Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Stock Acquired by Leuthold Group LLC

Leuthold Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 154,557 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,672 shares during the period. Cisco Systems comprises approximately 1.5% of Leuthold Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $16,635,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CSCO. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC grew its position in Cisco Systems by 142.5% in the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 257 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new position in Cisco Systems during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Cisco Systems in the third quarter worth about $32,000. GK Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC increased its position in Cisco Systems by 137.0% during the 1st quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cisco Systems

In other news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,628 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was 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 directly owned 602,710 shares in the company, valued at $67,226,273.40. This trade represents a 3.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Deborah Stahlkopf sold 6,487 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.53, for a total value of $723,495.11. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 167,116 shares in the company, valued at $18,638,447.48. The trade was a 3.74% 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 sold 44,869 shares of company stock valued at $5,005,620 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco is expanding its AI-security tools: AI Defense will use Anthropic’s Claude Mythos for adversarial testing of AI applications and agents, alongside new Splunk Agent Observability and Cisco IQ capabilities. The launch could strengthen Cisco’s position as businesses seek ways to secure and monitor AI agents. Cisco AI security announcement
• Positive Sentiment: One analysis suggests Cisco shares could be undervalued by about 15%, offering a potential valuation argument for investors. Cisco valuation analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: The November 12 earnings report is the main near-term catalyst. Investors will look for evidence that AI infrastructure demand supports Cisco’s growth and its stated $7.5 billion AI target; options trading points to expectations of a potentially large post-earnings move. Cisco earnings and options outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Risk appetite remains a headwind: reports cite a roughly 20% decline in CSCO and a $145 billion loss in market value from its peak, while ETFs were net sellers of $64.1 million in shares on November 5. ETF flows for Cisco
• Negative Sentiment: A Morgan Stanley analyst reportedly moved Cisco to Equal-weight, adding to caution ahead of results. Investors may also be wary if earnings fail to reassure the market about AI-related demand. Cisco earnings expectations and AI concerns

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

NASDAQ CSCO opened at $98.65 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $388.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.54, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.01. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $71.10 and a twelve month high of $130.37. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $108.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $101.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.05. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 30.16% and a net margin of 20.95%. The firm had revenue of $17.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 expect that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.42 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Friday, October 2nd were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 2nd. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is presently 50.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 16th. Morgan Stanley cut Cisco Systems from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $135.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Cisco Systems in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $135.00 price objective on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Three research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cisco Systems presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.87.

About Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems, Inc develops networking, cybersecurity, collaboration and observability technologies for businesses, governments and other organizations. Its products include routers, switches, wireless systems and data center infrastructure, along with security software and services that help organizations connect and protect their networks.

The company also provides collaboration tools through its Webex platform and observability capabilities through its software offerings, including technology from Splunk, which Cisco acquired in 2024.