QRG Capital Management Inc. Raises Stock Position in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 8.4% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 726,999 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 56,088 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $86,704,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cozad Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.3% during the first quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,203 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $2,033,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,413 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $283,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. August Group Capital Ltd boosted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. August Group Capital Ltd now owns 4,723 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $555,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Financial Insights Inc. boosted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Financial Insights Inc. now owns 6,220 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $483,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CPA Asset Management Group LLC increased its stake in Cisco Systems by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. CPA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 5,335 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $627,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cisco Systems

In related news, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 2,760 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.46, for a total transaction of $310,389.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 165,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,586,938.96. This trade represents a 1.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Jeetendra Patel sold 7,170 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total transaction of $799,956.90. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 230,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,727,261.01. This trade represents a 3.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 44,869 shares of company stock worth $5,005,620. Insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Cisco Systems News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators continue to view Cisco as an AI-infrastructure beneficiary because data centers require high-speed switches, networking equipment and data-movement capabilities. Cisco’s established networking position and data-center exposure could provide a moat as AI deployments expand. CSCO Still Has Niche in AI Trade: Kim Forrest Sees Data & Data Centers as Moat
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco released research indicating that enterprises are rapidly moving toward “AgenticOps,” or AI-driven network operations. The findings suggest a growing need for tools that automate increasingly complex network monitoring and alert management, potentially supporting demand for Cisco’s software and services. Cisco AI Research: AgenticOps Scaling Quickly in the Enterprise
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco announced a collaboration with Infleqtion to develop distributed quantum-networking technologies, including quantum memory-to-optical transduction and a prototype Universal Quantum Switch. The initiative strengthens Cisco’s technology positioning, although its financial contribution remains longer term. Cisco Unveils Quantum Networking Push With New Distributed Systems Collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zscaler-versus-Cisco comparison emphasized Cisco’s combination of cybersecurity growth, AI-infrastructure momentum and cash generation, along with a lower price-to-sales valuation than Zscaler. The comparison is supportive but does not represent a new company catalyst. Zscaler vs. Cisco: Which Cybersecurity Stock Is the Better Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler lowered its Cisco price target to $125 from $132 and retained a Neutral rating. Analyst James Fish cited expectations for a lower valuation multiple and fears that growth could be peaking, prompting investors to reassess Cisco’s premium after its strong run. Cisco stock sinks after Piper Sandler cuts price target on growth concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Recent executive stock sales and broad profit-taking appear to have intensified the selling pressure. Available reports characterized the move as sentiment- and valuation-driven rather than a response to a new earnings miss or guidance reduction.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CSCO shares. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on Cisco Systems from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Cisco Systems from $132.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Cisco Systems from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.36.

Cisco Systems Trading Down 0.0%

CSCO stock traded down $0.01 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $106.43. 17,629,853 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,757,455. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $112.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $104.97. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $66.81 and a 1 year high of $130.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $419.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.00.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $17.25 billion during 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 was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. 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. On average, research analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is 50.30%.

Cisco Systems Profile

Cisco Systems, Inc is a global technology company that provides networking, cybersecurity, collaboration, observability and other information technology solutions. Its offerings include routers, switches, wireless networking equipment, data center infrastructure, security platforms, unified communications tools and software designed to help organizations connect, manage and protect their digital environments.

Cisco serves businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, telecommunications providers and other organizations worldwide.