Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Stock Rating Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Posted by Stanley Muller on Oct 4th, 2026

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO – Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on CSCO. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Cisco Systems in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $135.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Cisco Systems from $132.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $121.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cisco Systems currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.52.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on CSCO

Cisco Systems Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of CSCO opened at $112.20 on Friday. Cisco Systems has a one year low of $66.81 and a one year high of $130.37. The company has a market cap of $442.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $112.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.44.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $17.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. The company’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. Research analysts forecast that Cisco Systems will post 4.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Cisco Systems

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cisco Systems

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CSCO. Networth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 276.4% in 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 stake in Cisco Systems in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC raised its position in Cisco Systems by 137.0% during the 1st quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Cisco Systems during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, RMG Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 308.7% during the 1st quarter. RMG Wealth Management LLC now owns 425 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the period. 73.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Cisco Systems News

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

Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded Cisco Systems from “hold” to “strong buy,” providing a notable near-term sentiment boost. Investors Heavily Search Cisco Systems
Positive Sentiment: Cisco is scheduled to distribute approximately $1.66 billion in dividends on October 21. The payout reinforces the company’s shareholder-return appeal and may support demand for the stock. Cisco Dividend Payouts
Positive Sentiment: Cisco’s AI infrastructure momentum remains a key catalyst: product orders increased 35% year over year in fiscal fourth-quarter 2026, while AI infrastructure orders reportedly exceeded Wall Street expectations. The company also announced a sovereign AI infrastructure partnership with Bell Canada, potentially expanding its networking, security and observability products in regulated markets. Bell Cisco Sovereign AI Pact
Positive Sentiment: The industrial-control-system security market is projected to grow at a 16.5% annual rate through 2031, creating a favorable backdrop for Cisco’s cybersecurity business. Industrial Control System Security Market Forecast
Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein initiated coverage with a “market perform” rating, suggesting balanced expectations despite Cisco’s AI opportunity. Bernstein Cisco Coverage
Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler lowered its price target to $125, indicating reduced upside expectations. Management’s cautious fiscal 2027 AI revenue outlook and the fact that AI represented only about 6% of fiscal 2026 revenue also highlight execution and valuation risks. Piper Sandler Cisco Price Target

About Cisco Systems

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Cisco Systems, Inc is a global technology company that develops networking, cybersecurity, collaboration, observability and data center solutions. Its products and services help businesses, governments, educational institutions and other organizations connect users and devices, manage infrastructure, protect digital environments and support cloud-based operations.

Cisco’s portfolio includes routers and switches, wireless networking equipment, network management software, firewalls, identity and access tools, endpoint security products, collaboration applications and observability platforms.