Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Trading Down 1.2% – Time to Sell?

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)’s share price fell 1.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $119.03 and last traded at $119.7040. Approximately 19,839,679 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 16% from the average daily volume of 23,749,646 shares. The stock had previously closed at $121.15.

Key Cisco Systems News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court ended a lawsuit alleging Cisco helped China persecute Falun Gong members, removing a legal uncertainty that could have weighed on sentiment. US Supreme Court ends suit alleging Cisco helped China pursue Falun Gong
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighted Cisco’s Secure AI Factory and quantum networking efforts as potential long-term growth drivers tied to AI infrastructure spending. How Cisco’s Secure AI Factory and Quantum Networking Bets Could Reshape the Cisco Systems (CSCO) Narrative
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst- and broker-focused articles suggest Cisco remains a widely watched name, but they do not appear to signal a major near-term catalyst by themselves. Cisco (CSCO) Is Considered a Good Investment by Brokers: Is That True?
• Neutral Sentiment: Media interest remains high, reflecting investor focus on Cisco’s recent performance and AI-related growth story. Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Negative Sentiment: One recent note said Cisco looks like a hold at around $121 because the stock has already run up sharply and is sitting close to a 52-week high, leaving limited room for error. Cisco at $121: Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Negative Sentiment: Another valuation-focused piece warned that Cisco’s strong rally and surging AI orders may already be pricing in a lot of good news, increasing the risk of a pullback if growth disappoints. Cisco Stock Looks Strong, But One Number Says Be Careful

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on CSCO. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $86.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. CICC Research upped their price target on Cisco Systems from $96.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Evercore increased their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $110.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, New Street Research raised their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $82.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.90.

Cisco Systems Stock Down 1.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company has a market cap of $471.81 billion, a PE ratio of 38.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $107.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $88.71.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.56 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. Cisco Systems’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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total transaction of $2,568,642.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 637,085 shares in the company, valued at $76,469,312.55. This trade represents a 3.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 7,127 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 140,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,890,162.87. This trade represents a 4.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 47,650 shares of company stock valued at $5,668,823. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cozad Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,203 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $2,033,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Financial Insights Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Financial Insights Inc. now owns 6,220 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $483,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Southern Financial Group LLC raised its position in Cisco Systems by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Southern Financial Group LLC now owns 9,159 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $711,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC raised its position in Cisco Systems by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC now owns 5,061 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $393,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 33,666 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $2,596,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.