Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Trading 2.3% Higher – Time to Buy?

Posted by Geri Gentry on Sep 19th, 2026

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO – Get Free Report) shares traded up 2.3% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $111.44 and last traded at $110.24. Approximately 15,796,919 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 30% from the average session volume of 22,593,549 shares. The stock had previously closed at $107.74.

Key Cisco Systems News

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

Positive Sentiment: Splunk is expanding Cisco’s AI opportunity by enabling self-hosted agents that operate behind customers’ firewalls. This could broaden the addressable market, although pricing and customer commitments have not been disclosed. Cisco Climbs 3.3% as Splunk Takes AI Behind the Firewall
Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlights strong AI infrastructure demand, including sharply higher hyperscaler orders, accelerating remaining performance obligations and opportunities from a networking-equipment replacement cycle. Cisco’s latest reported quarter also delivered robust revenue growth and exceeded analysts’ expectations. Cisco Stock Could Soon Wake From Its Summer Slumber
Positive Sentiment: New Splunk AI products, cloud alliances and tools designed to track AI token usage could strengthen Cisco’s security and observability offerings and improve monetization of enterprise AI adoption. The Bull Case For Cisco Systems
Positive Sentiment: Cisco’s participation in Verizon’s expanded 6G Innovation Forum, alongside major technology companies, supports its positioning in future 5G Advanced, edge-computing and network-platform opportunities. Verizon’s Expanded 6G Innovation Forum
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is emphasizing Cisco as a potential quality and cybersecurity beneficiary, but the investment view remains dependent on execution and valuation. Cisco Systems: The Flight to Quality in Tech
Negative Sentiment: The three-month decline reflects investor concerns over gross-margin pressure, rising memory costs, competition and the pace of recurring-growth expansion. Cisco’s relatively elevated valuation leaves less room for disappointing guidance or execution. Cisco Drops 8% in 3 Months

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Cisco Systems in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cisco Systems has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.68.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems Trading Down 0.7%

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 business’s fifty day moving average is $113.03 and its 200-day moving average is $104.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $431.75 billion, a PE ratio of 32.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.00.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.05. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.95% and a return on equity of 30.16%. The company had revenue of $17.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 21st. Investors of record on Friday, October 2nd will be issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 2nd. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cisco Systems

In related news, insider Jeetendra I. Patel sold 7,170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 230,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,727,261.01. The trade was a 3.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Thimaya K. Subaiya sold 5,832 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.47, for a total transaction of $650,093.04. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 128,382 shares in the company, valued at $14,310,741.54. This represents a 4.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 44,869 shares of company stock worth $5,005,620. Corporate insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cisco Systems

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CSCO. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Networth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 276.4% during the first quarter. Networth Advisors LLC now owns 335 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Cisco Systems in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC raised its stake in Cisco Systems by 137.0% during the first quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Cisco Systems, Inc is a global technology company that provides networking, cybersecurity, collaboration, observability and other information technology solutions. Its offerings include routers, switches, wireless networking equipment, data center infrastructure, security platforms, unified communications tools and software designed to help organizations connect, manage and protect their digital environments.

Cisco serves businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, telecommunications providers and other organizations worldwide.