Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO – Get Rating) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $56.70.

CSCO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Cisco Systems from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on Cisco Systems from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 16th. TheStreet upgraded Cisco Systems from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Monday, November 28th. Cowen lifted their target price on Cisco Systems from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 16th. Finally, Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Cisco Systems in a report on Friday.

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In related news, SVP Prat Bhatt sold 608 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.74, for a total value of $29,633.92. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 50,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,444,895.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 20,117 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.08, for a total value of $987,342.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 798,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,213,447.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Prat Bhatt sold 608 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.74, for a total value of $29,633.92. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 50,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,444,895.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 47,568 shares of company stock valued at $2,376,624 over the last three months. 0.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cisco Systems

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Biltmore Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,058,950,000. Vigilant Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Vigilant Capital Management LLC now owns 12,294 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $586,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Cisco Systems by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 14,824 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $706,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp grew its holdings in Cisco Systems by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp now owns 5,976 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dearborn Partners LLC grew its holdings in Cisco Systems by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 46,849 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $1,874,000 after buying an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. 71.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CSCO opened at $50.19 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $205.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Cisco Systems has a 52 week low of $38.60 and a 52 week high of $56.94. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.33.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 15th. The network equipment provider reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.12. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 31.19% and a net margin of 21.26%. The business had revenue of $13.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.77 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Cisco Systems will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 5th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. This is a boost from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 4th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is 55.68%.

About Cisco Systems

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Cisco Systems, Inc engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of Internet Protocol-based networking products and services related to the communications and information technology industry. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: the Americas, EMEA, and APJC. Its products include the following categories: Switches, Routers, Wireless, Network Management Interfaces and Modules, Optical Networking, Access Points, Outdoor and Industrial Access Points, Next-Generation Firewalls, Advanced Malware Protection, VPN Security Clients, Email, and Web Security.