17,754 Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Shares Bought by Ethic Inc.

Ethic Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 3.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 565,451 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 17,754 shares during the quarter. Cisco Systems comprises 0.7% of Ethic Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $60,859,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its position in Cisco Systems by 142.5% during the third quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 257 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Cisco Systems in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Blueline Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Cisco Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. GK Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Cisco Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 137.0% in the 1st quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In related news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,628 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.54, for a total transaction of $2,412,387.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 602,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,226,273.40. This trade represents a 3.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 680 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.18, for a total transaction of $74,922.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 163,337 shares in the company, valued at $17,996,470.66. This trade represents a 0.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 44,869 shares of company stock worth $5,005,620 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco was named a leader in ABI Research’s open line systems ranking for data-center interconnects, a market benefiting from AI-driven data-center expansion. Article: Ciena, Nokia, and Cisco Named Leaders in ABI Research’s Open Line Systems Ranking
• Positive Sentiment: New partner and cloud offerings—including AI-focused tools and expanded partner incentives—could support recurring software and services revenue. Separately, Spectrum Business introduced a managed Cisco secure-networking service aimed at AI-oriented enterprise workloads. Article: How Investors Are Reacting To Cisco Stock After Analyst Downgrade Article: Cisco Expands Into Managed Secure Networking
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco’s Q3 earnings are scheduled for November 12. Options traders are pricing in a potentially substantial move around the report, making results and guidance a near-term catalyst. Article: Cisco Set for Near 11% Move After Q3 Earnings, Say Options Traders
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut Cisco from Overweight to Equal Weight and lowered its price target from $135 to $120. The firm warned that faster AI-infrastructure growth could worsen the sales mix and pressure gross margins, weighing on earnings growth in fiscal 2028. Article: Morgan Stanley Downgrades Cisco On AI Impacting Gross Margins
• Negative Sentiment: The downgrade coincided with broad selling in AI-infrastructure and networking stocks. Cisco’s shares also fell below their 200-day moving average, a technical signal that may add to investor caution. Article: Cisco Falls on Morgan Stanley Downgrade and AI Infrastructure Selloff Article: Cisco Stock Price Breaks Below 200-Day Moving Average

Cisco Systems Stock Down 2.0%

CSCO stock opened at $93.85 on Friday. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $70.54 and a 52 week high of $130.37. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $108.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $101.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $370.01 billion, a PE ratio of 28.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.01.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $17.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.84 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.95% and a return on equity of 30.16%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.99 earnings per share. Cisco Systems has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.050-5.110 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 1.320-1.340 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 50.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Cisco Systems in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Barclays increased their price target on Cisco Systems from $121.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Cisco Systems from $132.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Cisco Systems has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.87.

Cisco Systems Profile

Cisco Systems, Inc develops networking, cybersecurity, collaboration and observability technologies for businesses, governments and other organizations. Its products include routers, switches, wireless systems and data center infrastructure, along with security software and services that help organizations connect and protect their networks.

The company also provides collaboration tools through its Webex platform and observability capabilities through its software offerings, including technology from Splunk, which Cisco acquired in 2024.