273,992 Shares in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Purchased by Motley Fool Asset Management LLC

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 273,992 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $29,490,000. Cisco Systems comprises 1.1% of Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Cisco Systems during the 2nd quarter worth $42,129,647,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Cisco Systems in the second quarter valued at $5,892,379,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Cisco Systems in the second quarter valued at $4,714,574,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in Cisco Systems in the second quarter valued at $1,997,004,000. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 7.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 207,106,569 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $25,278,492,000 after buying an additional 13,512,872 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

Shares of CSCO opened at $110.29 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $434.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.93. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $70.54 and a 1 year high of $130.37. The company’s fifty day moving average is $110.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.68.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released 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. The company had revenue of $17.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.84 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.95% and a return on equity of 30.16%. The business’s revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. 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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Friday, October 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.30%.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 312 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.18, for a total transaction of $34,376.16. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 127,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,065,688.98. The trade was a 0.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,170 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total value of $799,956.90. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 230,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,727,261.01. This trade represents a 3.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $110.00 target price for the company. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on Cisco Systems from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $132.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $132.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.52.

Cisco Systems News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco is emphasizing AI security and “quantum-safe” technology as enterprises build out AI infrastructure. The strategy could create additional demand for Cisco’s networking, cybersecurity and observability products. What Is Cisco Signaling With Its AI Security And Quantum Safe Push?
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel said AI-agent safety will be a major technology issue, highlighting security risks that could increase demand for Cisco’s security and infrastructure solutions. AI Agent Safety Will Be the Issue of Our Time
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco open-sourced Project Quarry, a tool designed to detect rogue AI agents. The initiative could strengthen Cisco’s credibility in securing enterprise AI deployments and support future software and security opportunities. Cisco Open Sources Project Quarry to Detect Rogue AI Agents
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst consensus price targets reportedly moved higher, while Cisco’s partner awards and channel activity point to continued customer and reseller engagement. Cisco Systems Consensus Price Target Rises
• Neutral Sentiment: NTT DATA’s global AI Factory expansion may broaden demand for secure networking and AI infrastructure, although the announcement does not identify a specific Cisco contract or near-term revenue contribution. NTT DATA Expands AI Factory Footprint
• Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were net sellers of Cisco, creating near-term technical pressure independent of the company’s operating outlook. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Cisco
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are questioning whether Cisco’s strong multi-year advance and AI-related optimism are fully supported by future cash flow. A relatively elevated valuation leaves less room for execution disappointments. Can Cisco Stay Cheap as AI Cash Flow Builds?

About Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems, Inc is a global technology company that develops networking, cybersecurity, collaboration and observability solutions for businesses, government organizations and service providers. Its offerings include routers, switches, wireless networking equipment, data-center infrastructure, security software and services, as well as technologies that support cloud and hybrid IT environments.

The company also provides collaboration tools through its Webex portfolio, cloud-managed networking through Cisco Meraki and security and observability capabilities that include technologies from Splunk, which Cisco acquired in 2024.