Sowell Financial Services LLC Sells 13,663 Shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Sowell Financial Services LLC trimmed its position in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 11.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 104,880 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 13,663 shares during the quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $11,288,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 142.5% in the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 257 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new position in Cisco Systems during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Networth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 276.4% during the first quarter. Networth Advisors LLC now owns 335 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. GK Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Cisco Systems during the third quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC grew its stake in Cisco Systems by 137.0% in the first quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: New AI networking platforms strengthen Cisco’s growth story. Cisco introduced 51.2-terabit and 102.4-terabit networking systems powered by its Silicon One chips, along with 1.6T optical modules and liquid-cooling technology for high-density data centers. Its collaboration with NVIDIA, TE Connectivity and Amphenol on next-generation optical connectivity could help Cisco capture more spending from the expanding AI infrastructure buildout. Cisco Systems Unveiled 102.4T AI Networking Platforms
• Positive Sentiment: AI demand is supporting an optimistic earnings setup. A preview article cited Cisco’s guidance for approximately 21% year-over-year revenue growth and 33% EPS growth, alongside recent revenue and earnings beats. Agentic AI adoption and infrastructure contracts, including international opportunities such as Bell Canada, are viewed as longer-term catalysts. Cisco Earnings Preview
• Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary supports continued AI capital spending. Strategist Tom Lee argued that the AI investment cycle may have substantial room to run, with networking, power, cooling and security among the beneficiaries. This reinforces the bullish case that Cisco’s AI order momentum could develop into a broader networking supercycle. Tom Lee on AI Stocks and Cisco
• Positive Sentiment: Splunk’s observability research highlights a potential software opportunity. Cisco reported that enterprises are struggling to monitor AI agents and control rising telemetry and AI costs. Growing demand for observability, security and operational predictability could support cross-selling through Cisco’s Splunk business. Splunk State of Observability 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: World Wide Technology’s new Cisco Secure AI Infrastructure specialization adds partner validation, but the direct near-term revenue impact is unclear. World Wide Technology Achieves Cisco Specialization
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and margin risks remain important headwinds. One analyst downgraded Cisco to Hold after a substantial year-to-date rally, arguing that the shares are near fair value and that hardware mix could pressure gross margins. Elevated price-to-sales levels may also reduce the stock’s sensitivity to positive AI news. Cisco Valuation and Technical Support

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total value of $799,956.90. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 230,593 shares in the company, valued at $25,727,261.01. The trade was a 3.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 6,487 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.53, for a total value of $723,495.11. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 167,116 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,638,447.48. This trade represents a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 44,869 shares of company stock worth $5,005,620. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CSCO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research raised Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Cisco Systems in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. HSBC lowered Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $137.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, October 11th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Cisco Systems presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.52.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of CSCO stock opened at $106.71 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $110.78 and a 200-day moving average of $109.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $69.85 and a 12-month high of $130.37. The company has a market capitalization of $420.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.99.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $17.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.84 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.95% and a return on equity of 30.16%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. Cisco Systems has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.050-5.110 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.320-1.340 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 50.30%.

Cisco Systems Company Profile

Cisco Systems, Inc is a global technology company that develops networking, cybersecurity, collaboration and observability solutions for businesses, government organizations and service providers. Its offerings include routers, switches, wireless networking equipment, data-center infrastructure, security software and services, as well as technologies that support cloud and hybrid IT environments.

The company also provides collaboration tools through its Webex portfolio, cloud-managed networking through Cisco Meraki and security and observability capabilities that include technologies from Splunk, which Cisco acquired in 2024.