Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Stock Price Up 2.2% Following Analyst Upgrade

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)’s share price traded up 2.2% during trading on Monday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $95.00 to $96.00. The company traded as high as $98.83 and last traded at $98.72. 30,267,390 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 36% from the average session volume of 22,282,816 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.57.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Argus upgraded shares of Cisco Systems to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore upped their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Cisco Systems to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 11,248 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total value of $854,848.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 262,776 shares in the company, valued at $19,970,976. This trade represents a 4.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 7,981 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total transaction of $634,489.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 187,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,874,211.50. This represents a 4.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 46,431 shares of company stock worth $3,574,820. Insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are highlighting Cisco as a beneficiary of strong AI networking demand heading into quarterly results, which could support revenue and guidance. Buy Cisco Stock Ahead of Q3 Earnings? Here’s What to Know
• Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary says Cisco is riding multiple tailwinds in a flourishing networking market, suggesting demand trends remain healthy despite macro headwinds and margin pressure. 3 Stocks to Consider From a Flourishing Networking Industry
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Cisco, signaling confidence in the stock’s outlook even though the new target is still below the recent trading level. MarketScreener
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market coverage points to a busy week with inflation data and several earnings reports, which may keep overall trading choppy but does not directly change Cisco’s fundamentals. Week Ahead: Inflation test, an AI IPO and US-China talks put Wall Street on edge
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure remains a concern, with rivals such as Arista Networks, Dell and HPE vying for AI and data-center networking spend, which could limit upside if Cisco’s results disappoint. Buy Cisco Stock Ahead of Q3 Earnings? Here’s What to Know

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cisco Systems

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Cisco Systems by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 74,187 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $4,392,000 after acquiring an additional 24,562 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 37.0% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,156 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $542,000 after buying an additional 2,474 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,178 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $706,000 after buying an additional 712 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 13,974 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $969,000 after buying an additional 519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 118.1% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 90,650 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,289,000 after buying an additional 590,650 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems Trading Up 2.2%

The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The business has a 50 day moving average of $82.32 and a 200-day moving average of $78.56. The stock has a market cap of $389.93 billion, a PE ratio of 34.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.92.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.02. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 27.88% and a net margin of 19.22%.The firm had revenue of $15.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.94 EPS. Cisco Systems’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.42 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 58.95%.

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.