Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Trims Stake in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lowered its holdings in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 17.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 232,079 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 48,287 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $17,877,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its position in Cisco Systems by 115.7% in the third quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 468 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 3,132 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.74, for a total value of $249,745.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 188,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,040,000.62. The trade was a 1.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 7,981 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total value of $634,489.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 187,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,874,211.50. The trade was a 4.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 46,431 shares of company stock worth $3,574,820. Corporate insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CSCO opened at $89.01 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $80.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.49. The stock has a market cap of $351.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.83. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $56.07 and a 1 year high of $90.45. 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 (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $15.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd were issued a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. This is an increase from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. HSBC lifted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.81.

Key Cisco Systems News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco unveiled a working prototype of a “Universal Quantum Switch” that can route quantum information between different types of quantum systems — a tangible step toward quantum networking that expands Cisco’s addressable market beyond traditional routers and switches. Cisco shows switch that can connect quantum computers of different kinds
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s Universal Quantum Switch press release reported proof-of-concept results (under 4% fidelity degradation) and stressed interoperability over standard telecom fiber — a credibility boost for long-term revenue potential in an emerging market. Cisco Introduces Universal Quantum Switch, Advancing the Path to a Quantum Network
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and trade pieces are positioning Cisco as a beneficiary of the AI-quantum convergence and as a “pick-and-shovel” supplier to AI infrastructure builds — sentiment that supports multiple-year upside if Cisco converts research into commercial products and services. AI Meets Quantum: Best Pick-and-Shovel Stocks for a Multi-Year Shift
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary ranks Cisco among AI/infra names with multi‑trillion-dollar potential over time, reflecting investor expectations that its transformation into higher‑margin software/subscriptions and AI hardware could materially re-rate valuation. Cisco Systems (CSCO): Can It Hit Trillion Dollar Milestone?
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco added Qmulos continuous‑compliance products to its Global Price List, easing procurement for joint customers — a modest commercial win that supports software and services momentum but is not material on its own. Qmulos Now Available on Cisco Global Price List (GPL)
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data for April appears inconsistent (shows 0 shares / NaN change) and is not indicating a meaningful short squeeze or cover signal at this time.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upbeat product news, Cisco shares pulled back on April 23 (a larger decline than the market), showing that investors still react to near‑term macro/earnings/rotation risk even as the company invests in new growth areas. Cisco Systems (CSCO) Registers a Bigger Fall Than the Market

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.