Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Stock Price Up 2.2% Following Analyst Upgrade

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) shares shot up 2.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Evercore ISI upgraded the stock from an in-line rating to an outperform rating. Evercore ISI now has a $100.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $80.00. Cisco Systems traded as high as $78.91 and last traded at $78.68. 17,570,979 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 6% from the average session volume of 18,634,693 shares. The stock had previously closed at $77.01.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. President Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $88.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $82.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on Cisco Systems from $76.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Cisco Systems from $70.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cisco Systems currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.81.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In related news, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 56,038 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.33, for a total value of $4,389,456.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 179,780 shares in the company, valued at $14,082,167.40. The trade was a 23.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 163,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.86, for a total transaction of $12,760,942.56. Following the sale, the insider owned 281,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,887,068.88. The trade was a 36.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,044,865 shares of company stock worth $81,397,635. Company insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Cisco Systems News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI upgraded CSCO to “Outperform” and lifted its price target to $100 (from $80), giving the stock visible upside and providing a catalyst for buyer demand. Cisco (CSCO) Stock: Why This Tech Bargain Just Got Upgraded
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco launched the “Cisco 360 Partner Program,” positioning its partner ecosystem to sell AI-ready data centers and workplace solutions — a strategic push that should help convert AI demand into sales. Cisco Launches New Cisco 360 Partner Program, Built with Partners for the AI Era
• Positive Sentiment: Customer wins spotlighting Cisco’s AI networking edge — e.g., Georgetown’s Wi‑Fi 7 overhaul using Cisco tech — help validate product demand and real-world AI-networking deployments. Does Georgetown’s Wi‑Fi 7 Overhaul With Cisco (CSCO) Redefine Its Campus AI Networking Edge?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment broadly lifted: multiple outlets note analysts raising targets and an overall “Moderate Buy” consensus, which supports market confidence but is not a guaranteed catalyst for sustained upside. Cisco Systems Trending as Analysts Lift Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco’s report on AI-driven privacy investment shows strong enterprise focus on governance and security — a favorable industry trend for Cisco’s security and networking offerings, though indirect as a near-term stock mover. AI Fuels Surge in Data Privacy Investments and Redefines Governance, Cisco Reports
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data in recent filings shows effectively zero days-to-cover (reported zero shares), so short-squeeze dynamics are not a factor in today’s move. (Internal short-interest summary)
• Negative Sentiment: A Forbes analysis argues Cisco may be overvalued and suggests a bearish scenario where shares could revisit much lower levels; that piece may temper gains and encourage profit-taking for some investors. Is It Time To Sell Cisco Stock?

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cisco Systems

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Cisco Systems in the 2nd quarter worth $3,816,825,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its stake in Cisco Systems by 413.3% during the second quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 22,393,371 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $1,553,645,000 after acquiring an additional 18,030,441 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Cisco Systems by 46.2% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,836,858 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,833,261,000 after buying an additional 12,904,969 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 110.2% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 18,406,442 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,259,369,000 after acquiring an additional 9,648,265 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Cisco Systems by 6,778.2% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,810,012 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $472,479,000 after purchasing an additional 6,711,004 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $310.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $76.63 and a 200-day moving average of $71.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.02. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 18.38% and a return on equity of 27.29%. The company had revenue of $14.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.91 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were given a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend 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%.

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.