Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Shares Up 3.1% on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) were up 3.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Evercore ISI raised their price target on the stock from $100.00 to $175.00. Evercore ISI currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Cisco Systems traded as high as $83.25 and last traded at $83.11. Approximately 34,870,867 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 74% from the average daily volume of 20,050,088 shares. The stock had previously closed at $80.64.

CSCO has been the topic of several other reports. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Cisco Systems from $70.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $82.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cisco Systems has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.38.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Michael D. Capellas sold 10,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.13, for a total value of $836,860.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 146,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,289,363.84. This represents a 6.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 1,745 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total value of $138,657.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 176,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,010,307.74. This represents a 0.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,044,865 shares of company stock worth $81,397,635. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI raised its price target on CSCO to $175 and maintained an “outperform” rating — a large upward revision that signals strong analyst conviction and can attract buyers. Evercore ISI Adjusts Price Target on Cisco Systems to $175
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: investors bought ~89,631 call options (about 27% above average call volume), indicating bullish bets on near‑term upside and adding upward pressure to the stock. (No external link)
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco presented at its Second Annual AI Summit (prepared remarks available), underscoring its AI strategy and product roadmap — positive for revenue/market‑share expectations in AI networking and infrastructure. Cisco Presents at Second Annual AI Summit — Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco scheduled its Q2 FY2026 earnings conference call for Feb. 11 — an upcoming catalyst that could amplify moves both ways depending on results and guidance. Cisco Schedules Conference Call for Q2 FY2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Media/analyst coverage (Zacks, MSN) is highlighting Cisco as a buy candidate and discussing analyst views — this increases visibility but is not new fundamental news. Cisco Is Considered a Good Investment by Brokers — Zacks Where Is Cisco Headed According to Analysts — MSN
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest entries in the notice feed show zero shares/days-to-cover (likely a data glitch or reporting artifact) — not a meaningful signal for market direction. (No external link)
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader AI/agent ecosystem coverage (e.g., OpenClaw story) highlights sector momentum that can be a tailwind for infrastructure vendors like Cisco, but it’s an indirect effect. AI Agent Coverage — CNBC

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cisco Systems

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 420,336 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $29,163,000 after acquiring an additional 4,525 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Cisco Systems by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,189,645 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $218,236,000 after purchasing an additional 205,043 shares during the last quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cisco Systems in the third quarter valued at about $8,563,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 8.9% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 686,469 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,165,000 after purchasing an additional 56,057 shares during the period. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 2.7% in the second quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,605 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $1,152,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $76.97 and a 200 day moving average of $72.34. The stock has a market cap of $328.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

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

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.