Russell Investments Group Ltd. Increases Position in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 5.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,208,469 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 210,410 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $287,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bare Financial Services Inc increased its position 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 buying an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Cisco Systems in the third quarter worth $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Cisco Systems in the second quarter worth $28,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 115.7% in the third quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 468 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Erste Group Bank lowered Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $82.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.55.

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, Director Michael D. Capellas sold 16,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.28, for a total transaction of $1,248,072.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 157,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,149,807.04. The trade was a 9.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Maria Victoria Wong sold 2,179 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.74, for a total value of $169,395.46. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 28,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,239,456.18. The trade was a 7.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 75,677 shares of company stock valued at $5,811,211 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Heavy AI order flow, stronger guidance and product momentum — Analysts and coverage pieces highlight Cisco’s growing AI infrastructure business (AI revenue > $2B in 2025) and FY26 targets for higher recognized revenue and orders, plus Silicon One/G300 chip traction and buybacks that support valuation upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Confirmed hyperscaler demand and partnerships — Reports note heavy AI orders, a new Cisco Secure AI Factory in Australia with NVIDIA and SharonAI, and guidance upgrades that validate near-term revenue drivers. These operational signals are the main fundamental reason some investors remain bullish. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and income appeal — Multiple retirement/dividend-focused articles include NASDAQ dividend names and long-term “set it and forget it” recommendations, supporting demand from income-oriented holders if rates fall. That dynamic could help support the stock over time. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry positioning and market studies — Cisco is cited as a leader in email encryption and unified communications market reports, underscoring long-term TAM exposure but not an immediate catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management outreach — Cisco presented at the Morgan Stanley TMT conference; transcripts provide detail for investors but did not introduce a surprise that would flip sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Macro and geopolitical uncertainty / market rotation — Broader market factors (regional tensions, shifting bond yields/rate expectations, and profit-taking after YTD gains) are likely weighing on the stock today despite company positives; one article notes regional risks that could affect U.S. investment flows. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed commentary and historical caution — Some retail/advice pieces remind investors of past Cisco drawdowns and caution about growth re-rates; these narratives can pressure sentiment during short-term pullbacks. Read More.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CSCO opened at $78.64 on Monday. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $52.11 and a 12-month high of $88.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $310.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $77.96 and a 200 day moving average of $74.19.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The network equipment provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $15.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.11 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 19.22% and a return on equity of 27.88%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is 58.95%.

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.