Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $88.22 and last traded at $87.81, with a volume of 5896523 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $86.25.

Trending Headlines about Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco hit a 52-week high as growth in AI networking and enterprise demand is lifting the outlook, reinforcing momentum and prompting investors to bid the stock higher. Cisco Hits 52-Week High: Should You Still Buy the CSCO Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Model-driven price targets see further upside — 24/7 Wall St. published a $98.76 12-month target (~12% upside), which supports the narrative that AI and networking tailwinds justify higher valuations. Why Cisco’s AI and Networking Tailwinds Point to $98.76 in 12 Months
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street analysts and aggregator pieces are broadly optimistic, citing AI momentum, deal strength and cloud demand — analyst support can sustain buying pressure and influence flow into the stock. Is Cisco (CSCO) a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect Cisco’s upcoming Q3 fiscal results to show low double-digit EPS growth; a solid beat would reinforce the rally, while a miss could pause momentum. Cisco Systems’ Q3 2026 Earnings: What to Expect
• Neutral Sentiment: Momentum-focused write-ups highlight CSCO as a momentum/value combo given its pivot toward AI-native networking and security — this attracts trend-following flows but raises valuation-watchers’ questions. Cisco Systems (CSCO) is a Great Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: A security incident at Anthropic (third-party AI vendor) where unauthorized users accessed Mythos during limited testing highlights sector-wide AI trust and vendor risk issues; any broad regulatory or client caution around AI deployments could slow enterprise rollouts that benefit Cisco. Unauthorized Users Access Anthropic’s Mythos AI During Limited Testing Rollout

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of Cisco Systems in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. They set a “buy” rating and a $94.00 price target on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Cisco Systems in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research lowered Cisco Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Cisco Systems to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.81.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 0.2%

The stock has a market cap of $354.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $79.95 and its 200 day moving average is $77.07.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.02. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 19.22% and a return on equity of 27.88%. The company 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 company earned $0.94 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be given a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. 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%.

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In other news, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 3,132 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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. This represents a 1.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Charles Robbins sold 19,545 shares of the business’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 $1,485,420.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 671,095 shares in the company, valued at $51,003,220. This trade represents a 2.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 46,431 shares of company stock valued at $3,574,820. 0.01% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cisco Systems

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 24,562 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Cisco Systems by 37.0% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,156 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $542,000 after acquiring an additional 2,474 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Cisco Systems by 7.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,178 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $706,000 after purchasing an additional 712 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in Cisco Systems by 3.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 13,974 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $969,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 118.1% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 90,650 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $6,289,000 after purchasing an additional 590,650 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

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.