Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Shares Down 1.8% – Here’s What Happened

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) was down 1.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $116.56 and last traded at $117.09. 20,711,138 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 13% from the average session volume of 23,898,604 shares. The stock had previously closed at $119.25.

Cisco Systems News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Cisco as a better-value way to play cybersecurity versus CrowdStrike, citing rising AI-driven security demand as a tailwind. CRWD vs. CSCO: Which Cybersecurity Stock Should You Buy Right Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Another report said Cisco is positioned to benefit from the AI boom through expanding AI products, partnerships, and infrastructure tied to strong second-half demand. The AI Boom Isn’t Over: 3 Stocks to Buy for 2H 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Seeking Alpha and Trefis argued Cisco still has room to rerate and pointed to AI infrastructure as an underappreciated growth engine. Why Cisco Still Has Room To Rerate
• Positive Sentiment: Rumors that Cisco could pursue SentinelOne, along with data center expansion in Italy and Bahrain, suggest a more aggressive push into security and AI infrastructure. Cisco (CSCO) Eyes SentinelOne As Italy And Bahrain Data Center Push Expands

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CSCO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $90.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Evercore boosted their price objective on Cisco Systems from $110.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. UBS Group upped their target price on Cisco Systems from $95.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, CICC Research lifted their price target on shares of Cisco Systems from $96.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.14.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $461.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.02. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $115.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.47.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The network equipment provider reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $15.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.56 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 20.14% and a return on equity of 28.44%. The company’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.96 EPS. Cisco Systems has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.160-1.180 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.270-4.290 EPS. Analysts expect that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, July 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is 54.55%.

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In other news, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 6,586 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.31, for a total value of $772,603.66. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 177,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,790,030.13. This represents a 3.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total value of $2,568,642.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 637,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,469,312.55. This represents a 3.25% 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 have sold 47,650 shares of company stock worth $5,668,823. 0.01% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cisco Systems

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 74,187 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $4,392,000 after purchasing an additional 24,562 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,156 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $542,000 after acquiring an additional 2,474 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Cisco Systems by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,178 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $706,000 after purchasing an additional 712 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in Cisco Systems by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 13,974 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $969,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 118.1% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 90,650 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,289,000 after purchasing an additional 590,650 shares in the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Cisco Systems

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.