Jeetendra Patel Sells 7,169 Shares of Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Stock

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) insider Jeetendra Patel sold 7,169 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 $28,937,315.36. This represents a 2.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Cisco Systems Trading Down 0.9%

CSCO stock opened at $114.35 on Thursday. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 12 month low of $62.30 and a 12 month high of $119.39. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $87.68 and its 200 day moving average is $80.93. The company has a market capitalization of $451.67 billion, a PE ratio of 37.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $15.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.56 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.14% and a return on equity of 28.44%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.44 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, July 6th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 54.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Cisco Systems from $76.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. HSBC upgraded Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $77.00 to $137.00 in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Citic Securities lifted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Cisco Systems in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. They set a “buy” rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.14.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco’s latest earnings and guidance continue to support the bull case, with management highlighting strong AI infrastructure demand and improving long-term growth prospects. Cisco Systems (CSCO) Is Up 20.4% After Record Q3, AI Outlook Hike And Restructuring Shift
• Positive Sentiment: HSBC upgraded Cisco to Buy and sharply raised its price target, while Argus also lifted its target, reinforcing expectations for continued share-price strength. HSBC nearly doubles Cisco stock price target for 2026 Argus adjusts price target on Cisco Systems to 150 from 100, maintains Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: New coverage is positioning Cisco as an AI networking and infrastructure beneficiary, with articles pointing to hyperscaler demand and Cisco’s role in enterprise AI standards. Cisco Ties AI Agent Push To Data Center Connectivity Standards
• Neutral Sentiment: Automation Anywhere’s collaboration with Cisco on EnterpriseClaw underscores Cisco’s relevance in enterprise AI, but the announcement is still more strategic than financially material for now. Automation Anywhere Collaborates with Cisco, NVIDIA, Okta, and OpenAI
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco was also highlighted in broader “AI infrastructure” and “big data” stock lists, which may help keep the name in focus, but these mentions do not add new fundamentals. Invest in These 5 Big Data Behemoths to Gain From Wall Street Rally
• Negative Sentiment: Several insiders sold shares under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans, including Jeetendra I. Patel, Deborah L. Stahlkopf, and Oliver Tuszik, which can create a modest overhang on sentiment despite being scheduled transactions. SEC Form 4 Jeetendra I. Patel SEC Form 4 Deborah L. Stahlkopf SEC Form 4 Oliver Tuszik
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary suggests Cisco’s strong rally may be getting extended, with concerns around lower free cash flow and margins potentially limiting near-term upside. Cisco Systems Reported Lower FCF and Margins – Has CSCO Stock Peaked?

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Networth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Cisco Systems by 276.4% in the first quarter. Networth Advisors LLC now owns 335 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Cisco Systems in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Cisco Systems by 137.0% in the first quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is 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.