Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Increases Stock Holdings in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 2.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 442,297 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,345 shares during the quarter. Cisco Systems makes up about 0.6% of Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $30,262,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of CSCO. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Yoder Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 3.8% during the third quarter. Yoder Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,945 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Wynn Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 48,456 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,315,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Old North State Trust LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 24,534 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,702,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH boosted its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH now owns 10,445 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $725,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, Director Kristina M. Johnson sold 13,481 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.13, for a total transaction of $1,039,789.53. Following the sale, the director directly owned 61,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,753,521.90. The trade was a 17.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 11,248 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total transaction of $854,848.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 262,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,970,976. This trade represents a 4.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 83,299 shares of company stock valued at $6,390,416. 0.01% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

Shares of CSCO opened at $79.20 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $312.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.96. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $52.11 and a 1 year high of $88.18. The company’s fifty day moving average is $77.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.41.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $15.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.11 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 19.22% and a return on equity of 27.88%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is 57.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on CSCO. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on Cisco Systems from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Evercore raised shares of Cisco Systems from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $80.00 to $100.00 in a report on Monday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley upped 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. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Melius Research lifted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $84.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cisco Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.55.

Cisco Systems News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco reported a quantum networking breakthrough (Qunnect entanglement swapping over metro fiber) and unveiled AI-powered networking/security updates and new Silicon One chips — news that supports a longer-term thesis for higher-margin infrastructure demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Market momentum is being reinforced by strong AI infrastructure traction: reports cite >$2B in AI-related orders and a 17% six‑month share gain, suggesting meaningful revenue benefit from Cisco’s AI push. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Technically, CSCO recently crossed above its 50‑day moving average — a short‑term bullish signal that can attract momentum and systematic buyers. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly favorable: consensus brokerage sentiment and rising estimates versus peers (Cisco highlighted as cheaper vs. Palo Alto Networks on certain metrics) are supporting buy-side interest. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate social and workforce partnerships (LISC, Per Scholas) underscore Cisco’s ESG footprint and local resilience work — positive PR but limited near‑term revenue impact. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and pullback analyses are mixed: some pieces recommend patience, noting that recent gains have pushed valuations above historical norms even as growth improves. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest data is unclear or immaterial in the public summaries — no clear near‑term pressure signaled.
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group downgraded CSCO to Hold, which can weigh on momentum and curb fresh inflows from certain institutional buyers. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: An insider sale (11,248 shares reported) may raise minor governance/near‑term sentiment questions for some investors. Article Title

Cisco Systems 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.