Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Trading Up 1.8% – Here’s What Happened

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)’s share price shot up 1.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $114.05 and last traded at $113.82. 17,532,491 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 27% from the average session volume of 24,033,559 shares. The stock had previously closed at $111.79.

Key Headlines Impacting Cisco Systems

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco was highlighted as an AI infrastructure leader, with investors favoring its growing role in networking, optics, Splunk integration, and hyperscaler spending. Cisco, IBD Stock Of The Day, Went From Slow-Growth Tech Icon To AI Infrastructure Leader
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary pointed to Cisco as a cloud-computing beneficiary for the second half of 2026, citing AI-driven data-center expansion and digital demand. 5 Cloud Computing Stocks to Buy for 2H 2026 as Digital Demand Soars
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco landed a $230 million Army role, reinforcing its government and cybersecurity business pipeline. Cisco (CSCO) Lands $230 Million Army Role And Backs AP Cybersecurity Course
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco partnered with the College Board to launch a new AP Cybersecurity course, potentially strengthening its long-term talent pipeline and brand in networking/security. Cisco (CSCO) Partners With College Board to Launch AP Cybersecurity Course
• Neutral Sentiment: A market report on DCIM software included Cisco among key industry players, reflecting broader interest in data-center management tools, but it was not a direct company catalyst. Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) Software Market Report Published
• Neutral Sentiment: One article noted Cisco gained even as the broader market dipped, suggesting relative strength rather than a new specific catalyst. Why the Market Dipped But Cisco Systems (CSCO) Gained Today

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on CSCO. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $76.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Argus boosted their target price on Cisco Systems from $100.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Cisco Systems from $86.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Cisco Systems from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Three investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Cisco Systems currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.14.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 2.5%

The firm’s 50-day moving average is $114.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market cap of $478.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.39, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.02.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $15.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.56 billion. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 28.44% and a net margin of 20.14%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.96 EPS. 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is currently 54.55%.

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.28, for a total transaction of $840,780.32. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,400 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total transaction of $2,568,642.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 637,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,469,312.55. This represents a 3.25% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 47,650 shares of company stock worth $5,668,823. Insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Cisco Systems

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 398,943,293 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,730,602,000 after buying an additional 4,049,893 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 195,521,161 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $15,060,995,000 after buying an additional 1,057,962 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 75,326,258 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,802,382,000 after acquiring an additional 206,352 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 59,836,782 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $4,609,227,000 after acquiring an additional 6,224,062 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Cisco Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,473,272,000. Institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

About Cisco Systems

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.