Evercore ISI Issues Positive Forecast for Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Stock Price

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) had its price target lifted by Evercore ISI from $100.00 to $175.00 in a report published on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. Evercore ISI currently has an outperform rating on the network equipment provider’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Piper Sandler boosted 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $83.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. CICC Research lifted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Argus boosted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $80.00 to $100.00 in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, President Capital lowered their price target on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $88.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $90.38.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 3.1%

CSCO opened at $83.11 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $76.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $328.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.24, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Cisco Systems has a twelve month low of $52.11 and a twelve month high of $83.25.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 27.29% and a net margin of 18.38%.Cisco Systems’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Cisco Systems will post 3.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 2nd. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is presently 61.65%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michael D. Capellas sold 16,150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.28, for a total value of $1,248,072.00. Following the sale, the director owned 157,218 shares in the company, valued at $12,149,807.04. This represents a 9.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 56,038 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.33, for a total transaction of $4,389,456.54. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 179,780 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,082,167.40. This trade represents a 23.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,044,865 shares of company stock valued at $81,397,635. Insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cisco Systems

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CSCO. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 74,187 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $4,392,000 after buying an additional 24,562 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Cisco Systems by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,156 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $542,000 after acquiring an additional 2,474 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 7.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,178 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $706,000 after purchasing an additional 712 shares in the last quarter. Drake & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the second quarter valued at about $645,000. Finally, Hardy Reed LLC increased its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 3.0% during the second quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 5,976 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $415,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems News Roundup

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

About Cisco Systems

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.