State of Wisconsin Investment Board lessened its stake in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO – Free Report) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,074,120 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 163,893 shares during the period. State of Wisconsin Investment Board owned approximately 0.05% of Cisco Systems worth $159,769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.
Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems
Here are the key news stories impacting Cisco Systems this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Cisco is benefiting from strong AI-networking demand, with recent commentary highlighting Q3 revenue growth, rising networking sales, and broad order momentum across segments. Cisco Systems Capitalizes on AI Networking Boom: More Upside Ahead?
- Positive Sentiment: Cisco announced a partnership with AT&T for an in-car entertainment platform, expanding its exposure to connected-car services and recurring billing capabilities. Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO) Partners With AT&T. It’s About Cars
- Positive Sentiment: Cisco and Equinix, alongside NVIDIA, are expanding deployment of Cisco Secure AI Factory solutions across global data centers, reinforcing Cisco’s position in enterprise AI infrastructure. Equinix Collaborates with Cisco and NVIDIA to Deploy Secure AI Factories Across Global Data Center Footprint
- Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles continue to frame Cisco as a winner in AI buildout and private 5G, supporting the bullish narrative, but these are largely commentary pieces rather than new fundamental disclosures. Cisco (CSCO) Unveils Cloud Control Platform and Advances Private 5G Connectivity Solutions
- Neutral Sentiment: A coalition announcement with Cisco as a member of an open-source security initiative adds a reputational tailwind, but it is unlikely to move the stock materially on its own. Chainguard Launches Athena, the Industry Coalition to Fix Open Source Vulnerabilities Before Attackers Can Find Them
- Negative Sentiment: One recent Seeking Alpha note downgraded Cisco, arguing that much of the AI-driven upside may already be reflected in the valuation, which could temper further gains. Cisco Systems: Still Winning The AI Buildout, But Now Everyone’s Pricing It In (Rating Downgrade)
Cisco Systems Price Performance
Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.03. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 28.44% and a net margin of 20.14%.The business had revenue of $15.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.56 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.96 earnings per share. The business’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 forecast that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Cisco Systems Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is presently 54.55%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms recently commented on CSCO. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $116.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Cisco Systems from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Cisco Systems in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $94.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $96.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Two equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cisco Systems has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.90.
View Our Latest Report on Cisco Systems
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.28, for a total transaction of $840,780.32. Following the transaction, the insider owned 246,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,937,315.36. This represents a 2.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 6,586 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.31, for a total value of $772,603.66. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 177,223 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,790,030.13. This represents a 3.58% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 40,523 shares of company stock valued at $4,814,224. Insiders own 0.01% 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.
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