Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 4.270-4.290 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 4.010. The company issued revenue guidance of $62.8 billion-$63.0 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $61.6 billion. Cisco Systems also updated its Q4 2026 guidance to 1.160-1.180 EPS.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ CSCO traded up $2.58 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $101.87. 36,445,844 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 22,397,385. The company has a market cap of $402.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.74, a PEG ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $83.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $79.14. Cisco Systems has a 52 week low of $60.85 and a 52 week high of $102.01. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.02. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 27.88% and a net margin of 19.22%.The business had revenue of $15.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.56 billion. 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. Research analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems will post 3.42 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Evercore lifted their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. DZ Bank upgraded Cisco Systems to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Cisco Systems in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Three research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.29.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In related news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 19,545 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total transaction of $1,485,420.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 671,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,003,220. This trade represents a 2.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 3,132 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $15,040,000.62. This represents a 1.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 46,431 shares of company stock valued at $3,574,820. Insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary ahead of earnings has been upbeat, with analysts pointing to strong AI networking demand, robust product orders, and hyperscaler momentum as potential drivers of double-digit revenue growth. The Zacks Analyst Blog Cisco, Arista Networks, Dell and Hewlett
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco joined a multi-company AI data center alliance aimed at setting open standards for optical connectivity, a move that reinforces its role in the fast-growing AI infrastructure buildout. Cisco Joins AI Data Center Alliance As Stock Trades Above Targets
• Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism is also being supported by expectations that Cisco will post another quarter of earnings and revenue growth, with analysts looking for EPS of about $1.03-$1.04 and revenue around $15.56 billion. Cisco Gears Up For Q3 Print; Here Are The Recent Forecast Changes From Wall Street’s Most Accurate Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Cisco’s data center business looks bright, adding to the upbeat pre-earnings narrative around the company’s growth in networking and AI-related infrastructure. Jim Cramer on Cisco: “The Future Is Bright for the Data Center Part of the Business”
• Neutral Sentiment: Several previews note that Cisco is heading into earnings after a strong rally and at or near record highs, so results and guidance may need to be solid to justify the recent valuation expansion. Cisco Q3 Preview: Stock Hits New Highs, Expert Asks ‘Can It Return To Those Parabolic ’90s Like Returns?’
• Neutral Sentiment: Traders are expecting a sizable post-earnings move, which suggests the stock could stay volatile around the report even if the long-term outlook remains constructive. How Much Is Cisco Stock Expected to Move After Earnings This Week?

Institutional Trading of Cisco Systems

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter valued at $100,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the 4th quarter valued at about $200,000. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the 4th quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA lifted its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA now owns 13,656 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $1,052,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. 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.