Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Trading 2.6% Higher – Still a Buy?

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)’s stock price traded up 2.6% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $122.55 and last traded at $121.83. 23,925,587 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 1% from the average session volume of 23,740,795 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.80.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco expanded its AI agentic security portfolio, adding Zero Trust Access for agents and new partnerships aimed at meeting rising enterprise demand for AI protection. Cisco Expands AI Agentic Security Portfolio: What’s Ahead in 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: The company also unveiled broader AI security and quantum-safe initiatives, including Cloud Control and Live Protect, reinforcing the view that Cisco is well positioned for secure AI infrastructure spending. Cisco AI Security Push And Quantum Plans Test Investor Expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Cisco to $130 from $120 and kept an overweight rating, signaling confidence in further upside. Morgan Stanley price target note
• Positive Sentiment: Technical commentary says Cisco broke above its 20-day moving average, which traders often view as a short-term bullish signal. Cisco Systems (CSCO) Recently Broke Out Above the 20-Day Moving Average
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor and media attention remains elevated, with Cisco among the most searched stocks on Zacks, reflecting continued interest in the name. Investors Heavily Search Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO): Here is What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 2,607 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 transaction, a routine insider sale that may modestly pressure sentiment. SEC Form 4 filing

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Cisco Systems to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Cisco Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $96.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, New Street Research boosted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $82.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.64.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $102.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $86.50. The company has a market cap of $477.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $15.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.56 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.14% and a return on equity of 28.44%. The company’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.96 EPS. 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, sell-side analysts expect that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In related news, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 6,586 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.31, for a total transaction of $772,603.66. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 177,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,790,030.13. This represents a 3.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,169 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.28, for a total transaction of $840,780.32. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 246,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,937,315.36. This represents a 2.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 51,636 shares of company stock worth $5,698,459 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cisco Systems

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Cisco Systems during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Networth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Cisco Systems by 276.4% during the 1st quarter. Networth Advisors LLC now owns 335 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Cisco Systems during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

About Cisco Systems

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.