Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Stock: Sterling Capital Management LLC Lowers Stake

Sterling Capital Management LLC cut its stake in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 67.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,095 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 31,948 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $1,625,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC grew its position in 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 worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Networth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 276.4% during the first quarter. Networth Advisors LLC now owns 335 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GK Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. 73.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 3.5%

Cisco Systems stock opened at $110.24 on Tuesday. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $70.43 and a 52 week high of $130.37. The stock has a market cap of $434.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.01, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $110.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $17.25 billion during 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. 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. On average, analysts expect that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Friday, October 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 2nd. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is presently 50.30%.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI-focused partner strategy: At Cisco Partner Summit, the company introduced updates to its Cisco 360 partner program, including ecosystem deal registration, new incentives, AI-enabled tools, and broader availability of Cisco IQ. The initiatives are designed to help partners capture increased enterprise spending on AI-ready networking and could support future revenue growth. Cisco Expands Partner Opportunity with New Cisco 360 Program Updates, High Yield Customer Experience Offerings, and AI-Ready Innovations
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded Cisco IQ adoption: Presidio is integrating Cisco IQ with its Presidio Advisor platform, combining Cisco’s AI-powered operational intelligence with multi-vendor lifecycle management. The agreement may increase the visibility and commercial reach of Cisco IQ while reinforcing Cisco’s position in proactive IT management and security. Presidio Integrates Cisco IQ with Presidio Advisor
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamental and analyst support: Wall Street’s generally bullish view, along with Cisco’s latest earnings beat, 17.6% revenue growth, and raised fiscal-year outlook, continues to attract investor attention. Is It Worth Investing in Cisco Based on Wall Street’s Bullish Views?
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading considerations: Technical coverage describes a rebound but highlights resistance ahead. Cisco’s shares trade well above their 200-day moving average, while a P/E near 33 may make investors more sensitive to execution and forward-growth expectations. Cisco Bounces Back: Can It Break Through Resistance?
• Neutral Sentiment: A report showing zero short interest offers no meaningful bearish or short-covering signal and appears inconsistent with the claim of a large increase in short interest.

Insider Activity

In other Cisco Systems news, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 680 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.18, for a total value of $74,922.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 163,337 shares in the company, valued at $17,996,470.66. This represents a 0.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Deborah Stahlkopf sold 6,487 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.53, for a total value of $723,495.11. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 167,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,638,447.48. The trade was a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 44,869 shares of company stock valued at $5,005,620 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on CSCO. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen raised Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, October 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Cisco Systems in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Cisco Systems from $121.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cisco Systems presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.52.

About Cisco Systems

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.