ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Has $66.38 Million Position in Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its position in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 861,733 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 16,507 shares during the quarter. Cisco Systems makes up about 2.4% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $66,379,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CSCO. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Cisco Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CSCO opened at $82.61 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $326.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.99, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $79.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $76.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 1-year low of $53.83 and a 1-year high of $88.18.

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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.11 billion. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 27.88% and a net margin of 19.22%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This is an increase from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is 58.95%.

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In other news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 19,545 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.00, for a total transaction of $1,485,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 671,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,003,220. This trade represents a 2.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Oliver Tuszik sold 3,132 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.74, for a total transaction of $249,745.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 188,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,040,000.62. This trade represents a 1.63% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 46,431 shares of company stock valued at $3,574,820. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Cisco Systems News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong AI momentum and quarterly traction: recent coverage highlights Q2 revenue growth (~9.7% YoY), networking orders up ~20% and AI infrastructure orders of ~$2.1B, plus management raising full‑year EPS guidance — supportive of continued top‑line and order strength. Cisco Remains A Buy As AI Tailwinds Broaden
• Positive Sentiment: Potential tuck‑in acquisition of Israeli AI/cybersecurity startup Astrix (reported $250M–$350M) would expand Cisco’s AI‑agent security portfolio at a modest price and reinforce its security/AI positioning. M&A News: Cisco in Talks to Acquire Astrix
• Positive Sentiment: Relative-value/security market angle: recent comparisons to CrowdStrike emphasize Cisco’s expanding security stack and lower valuation — a constructive narrative for investors preferring cheaper exposure to cybersecurity. CRWD vs CSCO: Which Cybersecurity Stock Should You Buy Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation check after a strong run: coverage asks whether CSCO (~$82) is now fairly priced after ~47% 1‑year gains; this frames investor debate between growth potential and stretched multiples. Is Cisco Fairly Priced?
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased retail/institutional attention noted in trending posts — more eyeballs can amplify moves but is not a directional catalyst by itself. Trending Stock Note
• Negative Sentiment: Deep-dive cash‑flow critique: a sell analysis argues the $28B Splunk deal tripled Cisco’s debt and structurally compressed free cash flow, assigning a $69 fair value — a direct counterweight to bull narratives and a potential driver of selling pressure if FCF recovery stalls. AI Top-Line Boom Can’t Hide The Free Cash Flow Problem
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment cooled: Zacks downgraded Cisco from “strong‑buy” to “hold,” which can blunt upside by reducing conviction among some retail and model‑driven investors. Zacks Downgrade

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CSCO shares. Wall Street Zen cut Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Argus raised Cisco Systems to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. DZ Bank raised Cisco Systems to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, CICC Research raised their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $84.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.76.

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.