Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Rating Increased to Outperform at Evercore ISI

Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) from an in-line rating to an outperform rating in a research report report published on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $100.00 price target on the network equipment provider’s stock, up from their previous price target of $80.00.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on CSCO. President Capital cut their price target on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $88.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Melius Research raised their target price on Cisco Systems from $84.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Cisco Systems in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cisco Systems has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.81.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 3.2%

NASDAQ:CSCO opened at $77.01 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a market capitalization of $304.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.87. Cisco Systems has a one year low of $52.11 and a one year high of $80.82. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $71.84.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $14.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.77 billion. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 27.29% and a net margin of 18.38%.Cisco Systems’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.91 earnings per share. Cisco Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.080-4.140 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.010-1.030 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Cisco Systems will post 3.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were issued a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 163,896 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.86, for a total value of $12,760,942.56. Following the transaction, the insider owned 281,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,887,068.88. The trade was a 36.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 164,584 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.85, for a total transaction of $12,812,864.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 196,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,316,053.30. This represents a 45.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,044,865 shares of company stock worth $81,397,635. 0.01% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cisco Systems

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northstar Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in Cisco Systems by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Northstar Advisory Group LLC now owns 8,203 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $632,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 15,917 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $1,183,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Green Alpha Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Green Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 12,349 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $951,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.4% in the third quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,449 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $715,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY lifted its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.6% during the third quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 24,622 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,685,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI upgraded Cisco from “in‑line” to “outperform” and raised its price target to $100, citing better revenue/profit visibility and AI opportunity — a direct catalyst for the stock’s move. Evercore ISI Group upgrades Cisco Systems (CSCO)
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts have lifted targets and reiterated buys after Cisco’s outlook and AI revenue potential were highlighted; these revisions increase investor expectations for upside versus prior estimates. Cisco Systems Trending as Analysts Lift Targets
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage notes point to Cisco’s above‑consensus profit and revenue outlook as a substantive driver for upgrades — signaling the company’s results/guidance are increasingly convincing analysts. Cisco upgraded on above consensus profit, revenue outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco launched the “Cisco 360” partner program to accelerate customer AI outcomes and make it easier for partners to deploy AI‑ready data centers and secure architectures — this supports revenue growth from the AI transition. Cisco Launches New Cisco 360 Partner Program, Built with Partners for the AI Era
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco released research on how AI is driving privacy and governance spending — supportive for long‑term TAM but not an immediate revenue guarantee. Investors should watch execution and timing of AI monetization. AI Fuels Surge in Data Privacy Investments and Redefines Governance, Cisco Reports
• Neutral Sentiment: Background pieces note the stock has had short‑term pullbacks even as the 12‑month performance is strong; this means analyst upgrades may fuel further upside but also increase sensitivity to near‑term execution and valuation. Cisco (CSCO) Stock: Why This Tech Bargain Just Got Upgraded

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.