Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Stock: Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Trims Position

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 16.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 186,723 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 36,197 shares during the period. Cisco Systems accounts for approximately 1.0% of Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $20,097,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Cisco Systems in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,129,647,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 7.0% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 207,106,569 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $25,278,492,000 after buying an additional 13,512,872 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Cisco Systems during the second quarter valued at approximately $5,892,379,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 2.7% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 43,450,141 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,103,654,000 after buying an additional 1,143,106 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Cisco Systems during the second quarter worth approximately $4,714,574,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Investors are looking for Cisco’s results to benefit from AI infrastructure demand, hyperscaler investment and networking growth. The report will test whether those trends are translating into orders and revenue. Article: Should You Buy, Sell, or Hold Cisco Systems Stock Before Q1 Earnings?
• Positive Sentiment: Cisco introduced AI security and observability updates, including adding Anthropic’s Claude Mythos to AI Defense for red-teaming AI applications and agents. The products could strengthen its position as companies seek to secure and monitor AI deployments. Article: Cisco Unveils Frontier AI Red Teaming and Agent Observability
• Positive Sentiment: Schurz Broadband Group is deploying Cisco’s 8000 Series routing platform across four operating companies, providing a customer win for its next-generation networking equipment. Article: Schurz Broadband Group Advances its Enterprise Fiber Network with Cisco 8000 Series Routing
• Positive Sentiment: ETFs were net buyers of about $85 million of Cisco shares on November 6, indicating institutional fund demand that may provide some support. Article: 60 ETFs Add to Cisco Holdings
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings announcement is a near-term catalyst, with options markets implying a potentially large move. Investors will focus on AI-related orders and margins; the outcome could amplify volatility. Article: Cisco Stock Faces a Massive Earnings Test
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is a concern after a substantial multi-year share-price run: investors are questioning whether Cisco’s current price is justified by its cash-generation outlook. ETF flows were also mixed, with net sales reported on November 5. Article: Is Cisco Systems Fully Priced After Its 104% Run?

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In related news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 21,628 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 602,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,226,273.40. The trade was a 3.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.53, for a total value of $723,495.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 167,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,638,447.48. This represents a 3.74% 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. Over 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 insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CSCO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Barclays raised their price objective on Cisco Systems from $121.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Cisco Systems from $132.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Truist Financial upped their target price on Cisco Systems from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.87.

Cisco Systems Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CSCO opened at $98.15 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $108.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $101.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $71.10 and a twelve month high of $130.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $386.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.39, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.01.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The network equipment provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $17.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.84 billion. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 30.16% and a net margin of 20.95%. Cisco Systems’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Profile

Cisco Systems, Inc. develops networking, cybersecurity, collaboration and observability technologies for businesses, governments and other organizations. Its products include routers, switches, wireless systems and data center infrastructure, along with security software and services that help organizations connect and protect their networks. The company also provides collaboration tools through its Webex platform and observability capabilities through its software offerings, including technology from Splunk, which Cisco acquired in 2024.