Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Zacks Research

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) was downgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Argus upgraded Cisco Systems to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Cisco Systems from $82.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Evercore upgraded Cisco Systems from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $80.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Monday, January 26th. HSBC increased their target price 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 reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Cisco Systems in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.76.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 0.3%

NASDAQ CSCO opened at $82.61 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $326.30 billion, a PE ratio of 28.99, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.83. Cisco Systems has a fifty-two week low of $53.83 and a fifty-two week high of $88.18. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $79.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $15.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.11 billion. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 27.88% and a net margin of 19.22%.Cisco Systems’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Cisco Systems will post 3.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 7,981 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 187,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,874,211.50. This trade represents a 4.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Maria Victoria Wong sold 551 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.54, for a total transaction of $42,724.54. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 27,957 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,167,785.78. This represents a 1.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 46,431 shares of company stock worth $3,574,820. 0.01% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Cisco Systems

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $10,643,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $3,637,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,484,176 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $191,356,000 after purchasing an additional 506,128 shares during the period. Bank of New Hampshire increased its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 19,337 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,490,000 after purchasing an additional 1,435 shares during the period. Finally, Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cisco Systems News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reports say Cisco is in talks to acquire Israeli AI/cybersecurity startup Astrix for $250M–$350M, which would bolster Cisco’s capabilities for securing AI agents and signal active M&A to accelerate product gaps. M&A News: Cisco (CSCO) in Talks to Acquire Israeli Cybersecurity Startup Astrix for up to $350M
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and investors point to AI tailwinds: Cisco reported ~10% revenue growth, surge in networking orders and $2.1B of AI infrastructure orders from hyperscalers, supporting raised guidance and a bullish view on its AI/NW positioning. Cisco Remains A Buy As AI Tailwinds Broaden
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-form analysis frames Cisco’s re-rating as a transition from a mature networking/dividend name to a critical AI-era infrastructure play, noting momentum but also execution/friction risks that keep some investors cautious. Cisco: The Stock Is Building ‘Cause’ While Fundamentals Pivot To AI Networking And Campus Refresh
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative pieces position Cisco favorably vs. CrowdStrike on valuation and expanding security portfolio, which may attract value-oriented security investors but doesn’t change growth-profile debate. CRWD vs. CSCO: Which Cybersecurity Stock Should You Buy Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles assessing whether CSCO is fairly priced note a strong 1?year run (near +47%) but still modest valuation relative to growth, leaving room for debate on near-term upside vs. mean reversion. Is Cisco Systems (CSCO) Fairly Priced After Strong 1 Year Share Price Run?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other trending-stock rundowns highlight investor attention and key metrics to watch (orders, gross margin, AI spend), but offer no single catalyst. Here is What to Know Beyond Why Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) is a Trending Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive moves in data-center and device-management (e.g., Ciena’s DCOM demand and Inlayer’s strong growth) highlight intense competition and potential margin pressure in parts of Cisco’s TAM. How is Ciena’s DCOM Unlocking a New Growth Engine Inside Data Centers?

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.