Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Stock Price Up 3.1% – Here’s What Happened

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)’s share price rose 3.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $89.63 and last traded at $89.57. Approximately 15,146,040 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 33% from the average daily volume of 22,468,566 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.86.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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 Upgrades and Downgrades

CSCO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $94.00 price target on the stock. Evercore raised shares of Cisco Systems from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $80.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Friday, April 24th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, CICC Research boosted their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $84.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.81.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $81.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $362.80 billion, a PE ratio of 32.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $15.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.94 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. This is an increase from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is currently 58.95%.

Insider Activity

In other Cisco Systems news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 19,545 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total transaction of $1,485,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 671,095 shares in the company, valued at $51,003,220. The trade was a 2.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 3,132 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.74, for a total transaction of $249,745.68. Following the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 46,431 shares of company stock worth $3,574,820 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 6.9% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,189,645 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $218,236,000 after purchasing an additional 205,043 shares during the period. Greystone Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the third quarter valued at approximately $8,563,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 8.9% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 686,469 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,165,000 after purchasing an additional 56,057 shares during the period. Rockland Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 213.8% during the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 20,497 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,402,000 after purchasing an additional 13,966 shares during the period. Finally, CX Institutional raised its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 11.0% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 144,336 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $9,875,000 after purchasing an additional 14,334 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems Company Profile

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.