Cisco Systems, Inc. $CSCO Stock: Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Increases Position

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its position in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 242,394 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,610 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $26,089,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cozad Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cisco Systems by 0.3% during the first quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,203 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $2,033,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Cisco Systems by 3.9% in the second quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,413 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $283,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Green Ridge Wealth Planning LLC lifted its position in Cisco Systems by 1.5% in the third quarter. Green Ridge Wealth Planning LLC now owns 6,017 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. August Group Capital Ltd lifted its position in Cisco Systems by 2.0% in the second quarter. August Group Capital Ltd now owns 4,723 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $555,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Insights Inc. boosted its holdings in Cisco Systems by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Financial Insights Inc. now owns 6,220 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $483,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.33% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems News Roundup

These are some of the CSCO news items that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Cisco’s AI growth story received a product boost: the company added Anthropic’s Claude Mythos to its AI Defense framework, with tools for testing AI agents and monitoring AI spending. Investors may view these capabilities as an opportunity to expand enterprise security and AI offerings. Article: What Is Cisco Systems Building With Its New AI Defense Push?
• Neutral Sentiment: Options markets signal elevated uncertainty around earnings, with one report citing an implied move of as much as 15.12%. That points to potential volatility, but not a clear direction. Article: Cisco Systems Could Swing After Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Some options positioning is described as bearish, and Cisco’s recent technical weakness raises the bar for results. Investors are watching AI orders and margins, while rising costs, competition, and questions about valuation after a strong multiyear run could limit the stock’s upside if results or guidance disappoint. Article: Cisco Earnings Preview: Options Data Bearish Article: Is Cisco Fully Priced?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on CSCO. Deutsche Bank began coverage on Cisco Systems in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp raised their price target on Cisco Systems from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Cisco Systems in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 7th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised Cisco Systems from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 16th. Three investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.87.

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In related news, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 6,487 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.53, for a total value of $723,495.11. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 167,116 shares in the company, valued at $18,638,447.48. This represents a 3.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 company’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 value of $799,956.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 230,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,727,261.01. This represents a 3.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 44,869 shares of company stock worth $5,005,620. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of NASDAQ CSCO opened at $100.76 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $71.72 and a 52 week high of $130.37. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $108.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $102.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $397.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.01.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last issued 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 net margin of 20.95% and a return on equity of 30.16%. The company had revenue of $17.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 4.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Company 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.