Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.07 EPS

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The network equipment provider reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.07, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $18.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.12 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.95% and a return on equity of 30.16%. Cisco Systems updated its Q2 2027 guidance to 1.340-1.360 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance to 5.470-5.530 EPS.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

Cisco Systems stock traded up $1.25 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $102.01. 21,939,863 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,997,539. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $108.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $102.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $402.18 billion, a PE ratio of 30.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.01. Cisco Systems has a fifty-two week low of $72.80 and a fifty-two week high of $130.37.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

Here are a few of the latest stories about CSCO:

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco has expanded its AI Defense offering with Anthropic’s Claude Mythos, adding tools for testing AI agents and monitoring AI spending. The move could strengthen its enterprise AI-security proposition, though its financial impact is not yet established. Article: Cisco’s AI Defense push
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and investors are focused on whether AI-related orders can sustain growth and support margins. A preview cited consensus estimates of $1.32 in adjusted EPS and $18.11 billion in revenue, making results and fiscal 2027 guidance important tests of expectations. Article: Cisco earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Options-market positioning ahead of the earnings release was described as bearish, while recent stock weakness and concerns about margins raise the risk of a negative reaction if results or guidance disappoint. Article: Cisco earnings preview and options data

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Cisco Systems from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $135.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 5th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $132.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Cisco Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.87.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 680 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.18, for a total value of $74,922.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 163,337 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,996,470.66. This trade represents a 0.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Thimaya Subaiya sold 312 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 127,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,065,688.98. The trade was a 0.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 44,869 shares of company stock worth $5,005,620. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems, Inc. develops networking, cybersecurity, collaboration and observability technologies for businesses, governments and other organizations. Its products include routers, switches, wireless systems and data center infrastructure, along with security software and services that help organizations connect and protect their networks. The company also provides collaboration tools through its Webex platform and observability capabilities through its software offerings, including technology from Splunk, which Cisco acquired in 2024.