Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Stock: Vest Financial LLC Boosts Holdings

Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 56.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 539,571 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 195,153 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $58,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in Cisco Systems by 142.5% during the 3rd quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 257 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new position in Cisco Systems in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Blueline Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Cisco Systems during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Networth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Cisco Systems by 276.4% during the 1st quarter. Networth Advisors LLC now owns 335 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the period. Finally, GK Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Cisco Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on CSCO shares. Zacks Research raised Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Cisco Systems in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Freedom Capital upgraded Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Cisco Systems in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.52.

Cisco Systems News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts argue that Cisco’s networking equipment, security products and software could benefit as enterprises and data centers continue expanding AI infrastructure. Cisco’s established customer base and cash generation may provide an advantage as spending broadens beyond chips to networking, power and cooling. Is Networking Demand Anchoring Cash-Rich Cisco Systems?
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco’s Splunk business highlighted growing demand for observability tools as AI agents create unpredictable workloads, telemetry expenses and software bills. Monitoring agent performance and controlling waste could support recurring software demand and strengthen Cisco’s AI-related growth narrative. Splunk State of Observability 2026
• Positive Sentiment: World Wide Technology earned Cisco’s Secure AI Infrastructure Specialization, providing evidence of partner adoption for Cisco’s security and AI infrastructure offerings. World Wide Technology Achieves Cisco Secure AI Infrastructure Specialization
• Positive Sentiment: Strategist Tom Lee cited Cisco’s 1990s rally as a precedent for buying an AI-related pullback, reinforcing the view that the current AI investment cycle could have several years to run. Strategist Tom Lee Says He’s Buying the AI Stock Dip
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary suggests Cisco could help customers reduce the unpredictable operating costs associated with AI agents, potentially creating demand for monitoring and optimization tools, although the opportunity remains dependent on enterprise adoption. Cisco Can Profit From Helping Customers Spend Less on AI?
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Arista Networks may have a more focused, margin-rich position in modern AI data-center networking. Cisco’s broader, legacy enterprise exposure could pressure growth and margins if it loses key design wins. Arista Networks Versus Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems Trading Up 0.5%

NASDAQ CSCO opened at $107.26 on Thursday. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $69.85 and a 1 year high of $130.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $422.88 billion, a PE ratio of 32.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a fifty day moving average of $110.45 and a 200 day moving average of $109.70.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $17.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.84 billion. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 30.16% and a net margin of 20.95%. The company’s revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $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. Research analysts forecast that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Friday, October 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.30%.

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 2,760 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.46, for a total value of $310,389.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 165,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,586,938.96. This represents a 1.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 6,487 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.53, for a total transaction of $723,495.11. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 167,116 shares in the company, valued at $18,638,447.48. The trade was a 3.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 44,869 shares of company stock valued at $5,005,620 in the last 90 days. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Cisco Systems Company Profile

Cisco Systems, Inc is a global technology company that develops networking, cybersecurity, collaboration and observability solutions for businesses, government organizations and service providers. Its offerings include routers, switches, wireless networking equipment, data-center infrastructure, security software and services, as well as technologies that support cloud and hybrid IT environments.

The company also provides collaboration tools through its Webex portfolio, cloud-managed networking through Cisco Meraki and security and observability capabilities that include technologies from Splunk, which Cisco acquired in 2024.