Confluence Investment Management LLC Reduces Holdings in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Confluence Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,618,101 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 89,525 shares during the quarter. Cisco Systems comprises about 1.9% of Confluence Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $124,642,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $715,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY raised its stake in Cisco Systems by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 24,622 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $1,685,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Yoder Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Cisco Systems by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Yoder Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,945 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $270,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Weaver Consulting Group lifted its position in Cisco Systems by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Weaver Consulting Group now owns 9,940 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $680,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the period. Finally, KKM Financial LLC lifted its position in Cisco Systems by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. KKM Financial LLC now owns 7,971 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $545,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the period. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on CSCO. Citigroup increased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. CICC Research lifted their target price on Cisco Systems from $84.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore upgraded shares of Cisco Systems from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $80.00 to $100.00 in a report on Monday, January 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $82.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.55.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In related news, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 3,132 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.74, for a total value of $249,745.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 188,613 shares in the company, valued at $15,040,000.62. The trade was a 1.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 11,248 shares of the 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 sale, the insider directly owned 262,776 shares in the company, valued at $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 46,431 shares of company stock worth $3,574,820. Insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco launched a 10‑year “40 Communities” initiative to boost local emergency connectivity, digital skills and cybersecurity education — a program that can strengthen customer relationships with governments, expand public-sector sales opportunities, and bolster ESG positioning. Cisco Community Push Puts 40 Communities Initiative In Investor Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco joined a new 400G Optical Multi‑Source Agreement (with Broadcom, NVIDIA, etc.), reinforcing its role in next‑generation AI data‑center networking — a direct product/capacity story that supports revenue leverage if AI infrastructure spending accelerates. Cisco’s 400G Alliance Ties AI Data Centers To Valuation Story
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs’ strategist flagged AI, cybersecurity and infrastructure as sector winners — a thematic endorsement that benefits Cisco as a core networking and security vendor in those categories. The AI Payoff Is the ‘Biggest Question’ for U.S. Investors, Says Goldman’s Snider
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts maintain a constructive stance: consensus ratings remain around “Moderate Buy,” supporting continued investor interest but not signaling dramatic upgrades. Cisco Systems, Inc. Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes Cisco is showing relative strength versus broader Nasdaq weakness, suggesting technical resilience that traders are watching. Blue-Chip Tech Stock Could Topple Overhead Resistance
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry pieces (e.g., on suppliers like Jabil) reference Cisco as a major customer — an indirect signal of demand in networking and cloud hardware supply chains but not a direct company update. Jabil Quietly Manufactures an Accelerating Stock Price Rally (CSCO)
• Negative Sentiment: Two executive vice presidents disclosed stock sales this week (Oliver Tuszik sold ~3,132 shares at ~$79.74; Deborah Stahlkopf sold ~7,981 shares at ~$79.50). While insider sales can be routine, they sometimes weigh on sentiment when clustered. Oliver Tuszik Form 4 (SEC) Deborah L. Stahlkopf Form 4 (SEC)
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns: at least one analyst note argues Cisco is expensive on a price‑to‑sales multiple, which could cap upside if earnings growth disappoints versus elevated expectations. Cisco is Overvalued at 4.95X PS: Should You Still Buy the Stock?

Cisco Systems Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of CSCO opened at $78.51 on Friday. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.11 and a 52 week high of $88.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $310.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.55, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.87. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $78.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.72.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last announced its quarterly 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. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 27.88% and a net margin of 19.22%.The company had revenue of $15.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.11 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.94 earnings per share. Cisco Systems’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.04 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This is a positive change from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. 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%. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is presently 57.54%.

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.