Cisco Systems Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:CSCO)

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors bought 884,706 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 1,407% compared to the typical daily volume of 58,692 call options.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

CSCO traded down $0.38 on Wednesday, hitting $77.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 13,450,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,936,404. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Cisco Systems has a 12 month low of $52.11 and a 12 month high of $80.82. The firm has a market cap of $304.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.87. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $75.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $70.90.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $14.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.77 billion. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 27.29% and a net margin of 18.38%.The firm’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.91 earnings per share. Cisco Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.080-4.140 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.010-1.030 EPS. Analysts forecast that Cisco Systems will post 3.04 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Argus upped their target price on Cisco Systems from $80.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $77.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Cisco Systems from $70.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.70.

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

In other news, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 1,745 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total transaction of $138,657.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 176,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,010,307.74. This trade represents a 0.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Charles Robbins sold 116,734 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.30, for a total value of $9,023,538.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 704,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,431,026.90. The trade was a 14.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,044,865 shares of company stock valued at $81,397,635. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Cisco Systems

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 531.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the period. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 89.4% during the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 409 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Cisco Systems during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 96.2% in the third quarter. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 408 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.