Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $90.47 and last traded at $90.4480, with a volume of 3586245 shares. The stock had previously closed at $89.57.

Key Cisco Systems News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results and AI/infra momentum — analysts note Cisco’s Q2 beat, raised outlook and AI-infrastructure product momentum as key drivers of the recent share rally and valuation re-rating. A Look At Cisco (CSCO) Valuation After Strong Q2 Results And AI Infrastructure Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: High odds of another earnings beat — a Zacks piece flags Cisco’s strong earnings-surprise history and the factors (revenue strength, margin leverage) that make another upside surprise likely, supporting near-term sentiment. Will Cisco (CSCO) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: Policy tailwind for quantum networking — a new U.S. quantum policy bill advancing toward commercialization could accelerate funding and deployment for quantum-related networking tech, an area where Cisco is referenced as a key player. This is a medium-term catalyst for products beyond core routing/switching. National Quantum Policy Bill Advances: IBM, IonQ, Cisco in Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/market momentum — multiple market reports note Cisco hitting fresh peaks and outperforming the Nasdaq index recently, reflecting strong investor demand and positive flow into the name. Cisco Hits Fresh Peak Amid Nasdaq Composite Today Buzz
• Neutral Sentiment: CNBC mention on trader radar — Cisco was referenced on CNBC’s “Final Trades,” a short-term media mention that can attract attention but is not a fundamental catalyst by itself. Netflix, Cisco, Zoom and a health care stock on CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer strength — Arista (a data-center networking peer) is gaining momentum ahead of its earnings, highlighting competitive dynamics in the data-center space; this is worth monitoring but hasn’t materially changed Cisco’s trajectory yet. This Nvidia Rival Gains Momentum Ahead Of Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing bullish write-ups — several bullish theses and valuation analyses (Substack/InsiderMonkey/Yahoo) are circulating, reinforcing investor interest but largely echoing the same drivers: AI demand, recurring revenue, and attractive cash returns. Is Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) A Good Stock To Buy Now?

Analyst Ratings Changes

CSCO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. 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 objective on the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Argus raised shares of Cisco Systems to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore raised shares of Cisco Systems from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, 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. Three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.81.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $81.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.93. 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 has a market cap of $362.80 billion, a PE ratio of 32.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.92.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $15.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.94 earnings per share. Cisco Systems’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd were given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. This is a positive change from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 58.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cisco Systems news, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 3,132 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were 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 owned 188,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,040,000.62. This trade represents a 1.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 7,981 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 4.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 46,431 shares of company stock valued at $3,574,820 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Cisco Systems

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CSCO. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Networth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 276.4% in the first quarter. Networth Advisors LLC now owns 335 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the first quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.