Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Position Lifted by North Dakota State Investment Board

North Dakota State Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 124,523 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,664 shares during the quarter. Cisco Systems makes up approximately 0.5% of North Dakota State Investment Board’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. North Dakota State Investment Board’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $13,402,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of CSCO. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Cisco Systems in the 2nd quarter worth about $42,129,647,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the second quarter valued at about $5,892,379,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the second quarter valued at about $4,714,574,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the second quarter valued at about $1,997,004,000. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 7.0% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 207,106,569 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $25,278,492,000 after purchasing an additional 13,512,872 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CSCO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Truist Financial upped 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. HSBC downgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $137.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Cisco Systems in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, October 11th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.52.

Cisco Systems Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of CSCO stock opened at $110.29 on Thursday. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 1-year low of $70.54 and a 1-year high of $130.37. 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 stock has a market cap of $434.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.02, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $110.14 and a 200-day moving average of $100.68.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $17.25 billion for 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. 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, equities research analysts forecast that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 2nd were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 2nd. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.30%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,628 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.54, for a total value of $2,412,387.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 602,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,226,273.40. This represents a 3.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,170 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total transaction of $799,956.90. Following the sale, the insider 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 ownership of the stock. 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 have sold 44,869 shares of company stock worth $5,005,620. 0.01% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Cisco Systems News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco is emphasizing AI security and “quantum-safe” technology as enterprises build out AI infrastructure. The strategy could create additional demand for Cisco’s networking, cybersecurity and observability products. What Is Cisco Signaling With Its AI Security And Quantum Safe Push?
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel said AI-agent safety will be a major technology issue, highlighting security risks that could increase demand for Cisco’s security and infrastructure solutions. AI Agent Safety Will Be the Issue of Our Time
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco open-sourced Project Quarry, a tool designed to detect rogue AI agents. The initiative could strengthen Cisco’s credibility in securing enterprise AI deployments and support future software and security opportunities. Cisco Open Sources Project Quarry to Detect Rogue AI Agents
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst consensus price targets reportedly moved higher, while Cisco’s partner awards and channel activity point to continued customer and reseller engagement. Cisco Systems Consensus Price Target Rises
• Neutral Sentiment: NTT DATA’s global AI Factory expansion may broaden demand for secure networking and AI infrastructure, although the announcement does not identify a specific Cisco contract or near-term revenue contribution. NTT DATA Expands AI Factory Footprint
• Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were net sellers of Cisco, creating near-term technical pressure independent of the company’s operating outlook. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Cisco
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are questioning whether Cisco’s strong multi-year advance and AI-related optimism are fully supported by future cash flow. A relatively elevated valuation leaves less room for execution disappointments. Can Cisco Stay Cheap as AI Cash Flow Builds?

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.