Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC Reduces Position in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Aug 20th, 2026

Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO – Free Report) by 78.7% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,424 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 5,249 shares during the period. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $167,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strathmore Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Cisco Systems by 12.3% during the 2nd quarter. Strathmore Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,459 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $500,000 after acquiring an additional 489 shares during the period. Uptick Partners LLC grew its stake in Cisco Systems by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter. Uptick Partners LLC now owns 9,938 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,167,000 after purchasing an additional 852 shares during the last quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.5% in the second quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 8,383 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $985,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Csenge Advisory Group raised its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 17.2% in the second quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 26,994 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $3,171,000 after purchasing an additional 3,952 shares during the last quarter. Finally, West Family Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.7% in the second quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 22,743 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $2,671,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CSCO shares. Rosenblatt Securities upped their target price on Cisco Systems from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $86.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.43.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on CSCO

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.57, for a total value of $799,956.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 230,593 shares in the company, valued at $25,727,261.01. The trade was a 3.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 6,487 shares of the stock in a transaction 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. This trade represents a 3.74% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 69,179 shares of company stock worth $7,985,229. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Cisco Systems Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of CSCO opened at $110.55 on Thursday. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.13 and a 52 week high of $130.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $435.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.10, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.02. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $116.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.94.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.05. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 30.16% and a net margin of 20.95%.The company had revenue of $17.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.99 earnings per share. Cisco Systems’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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, sell-side analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 2nd. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.30%.

Key Stories Impacting Cisco Systems

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

Positive Sentiment: Cisco reported approximately $17.3 billion in quarterly revenue, up 18% year over year, and adjusted EPS of $1.22, exceeding the $1.17 consensus estimate. Management’s fiscal 2027 outlook was also optimistic, reinforcing expectations for continued growth. Strong AI Infrastructure Orders Drive Confidence in Cisco Systems
Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure demand remains a major growth driver. Cisco recorded $4 billion of AI infrastructure orders in the latest quarter, $9.3 billion for fiscal 2026, and expects $7.5 billion of AI infrastructure revenue in fiscal 2027. Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and $150 price target, indicating substantial potential upside if execution continues. BofA makes bold call on Cisco stock after earnings
Neutral Sentiment: Analysts questioned how sustainable the AI-led growth surge will be and whether Cisco can convert strong orders into durable, profitable recurring revenue. A recent Freedom Capital upgrade to Strong Buy provides a counterpoint to the more cautious views. What Kept Coming Up When Analysts Grilled CSCO
Negative Sentiment: Gross-margin pressure was the key earnings concern. Margins fell to about 66.3% and are expected to remain around 65%–66% in the next quarter, partly because of higher memory costs, hardware pricing, and an unfavorable product mix. Soft recurring growth and a premium valuation have led some analysts to recommend holding the stock despite strong revenue growth. Cisco: Buy The AI Pullback, But Watch The Margin Pressure
Negative Sentiment: HSBC downgraded Cisco to Hold, while CEO Charles Robbins and other executives disclosed share sales. The transactions were conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, making them a modest negative signal rather than clear evidence of deteriorating management confidence.

About Cisco Systems

(Free Report)

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.