First Trust Advisors LP Decreases Stock Holdings in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its stake in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 14.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,139,390 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 3,746,838 shares during the quarter. Cisco Systems comprises approximately 1.2% of First Trust Advisors LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $1,717,795,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 74,187 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $4,392,000 after buying an additional 24,562 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,156 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $542,000 after purchasing an additional 2,474 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Cisco Systems by 7.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,178 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $706,000 after purchasing an additional 712 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 3.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 13,974 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $969,000 after buying an additional 519 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 118.1% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 90,650 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,289,000 after acquiring an additional 590,650 shares during the period. 73.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.28, for a total value of $840,780.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 246,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,937,315.36. This represents a 2.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 6,586 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.31, for a total value of $772,603.66. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 177,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,790,030.13. The trade was a 3.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 47,650 shares of company stock worth $5,668,823 over the last three months. 0.01% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cisco Systems News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with one report noting Cisco’s average analyst recommendation is still “Moderate Buy,” and another saying Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock to “Buy.” Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also focusing on Cisco’s AI-networking potential, including coverage asking whether the company can lead the AI network boom and highlighting Cisco’s quantum networking tests plus a new AI contact-center partnership for Webex. Can Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Lead the AI Network Boom?
• Positive Sentiment: Some market commentary remains bullish, including a price-prediction piece arguing Cisco could continue to benefit from its growing AI infrastructure exposure and recent order momentum. Price Prediction: Cisco Stock Will Double on This Date
• Neutral Sentiment: Cisco has also been a heavily discussed/trending stock, which can support trading interest but does not by itself change fundamentals. 3 Reasons to Sell CSCO and 1 Stock to Buy Instead
• Negative Sentiment: One article framed Cisco as overextended after a strong six-month rally, suggesting some investors may be taking profits after a big run-up in the stock. 3 Reasons to Sell CSCO and 1 Stock to Buy Instead
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term trading has been choppy, with a recent report noting Cisco underperformed the broader market in the latest session and another saying the stock dipped amid speculation about a possible Zafran Security acquisition. Cisco Systems (CSCO) Sees a More Significant Dip Than Broader Market: Some Facts to Know

Analyst Ratings Changes

CSCO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. CICC Research boosted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $96.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Argus increased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $100.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.14.

Cisco Systems Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of Cisco Systems stock opened at $112.18 on Wednesday. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 12-month low of $65.75 and a 12-month high of $130.37. The company has a market capitalization of $442.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.42, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $117.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.92.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.03. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 28.44% and a net margin of 20.14%.The firm had revenue of $15.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.96 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. Cisco Systems has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.160-1.180 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.270-4.290 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is presently 54.55%.

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.