Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Trading Down 1.3% – Here’s What Happened

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)’s stock price was down 1.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $118.36 and last traded at $118.80. Approximately 19,606,657 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 17% from the average daily volume of 23,738,979 shares. The stock had previously closed at $120.36.

Cisco Systems News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco expanded its AI agentic security portfolio, adding Zero Trust Access for agents and new partnerships aimed at meeting rising enterprise demand for AI protection. Cisco Expands AI Agentic Security Portfolio: What’s Ahead in 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: The company also unveiled broader AI security and quantum-safe initiatives, including Cloud Control and Live Protect, reinforcing the view that Cisco is well positioned for secure AI infrastructure spending. Cisco AI Security Push And Quantum Plans Test Investor Expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Cisco to $130 from $120 and kept an overweight rating, signaling confidence in further upside. Morgan Stanley price target note
• Positive Sentiment: Technical commentary says Cisco broke above its 20-day moving average, which traders often view as a short-term bullish signal. Cisco Systems (CSCO) Recently Broke Out Above the 20-Day Moving Average
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor and media attention remains elevated, with Cisco among the most searched stocks on Zacks, reflecting continued interest in the name. Investors Heavily Search Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO): Here is What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 2,607 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 transaction, a routine insider sale that may modestly pressure sentiment. SEC Form 4 filing

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CSCO shares. Zacks Research downgraded Cisco Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Evercore increased their target price on Cisco Systems from $110.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. CICC Research upped their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $96.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Argus upped their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $100.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.64.

Cisco Systems Trading Down 0.6%

The stock has a market cap of $477.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.32, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $101.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $86.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $15.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.56 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.14% and a return on equity of 28.44%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. Cisco Systems has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.160-1.180 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.270-4.290 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.54 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, July 6th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.55%.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In related news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total value of $2,568,642.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 637,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,469,312.55. This represents a 3.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 7,981 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total value of $634,489.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 187,097 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,874,211.50. This represents a 4.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 51,636 shares of company stock worth $5,698,459 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cozad Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Cisco Systems by 0.3% in the first quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,203 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,033,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Financial Insights Inc. grew its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.5% during the first quarter. Financial Insights Inc. now owns 6,220 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $483,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 2.3% during the first quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC now owns 5,061 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $393,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 33,666 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,596,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Sage Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.7% during the first quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 16,185 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,256,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.