Cisco Stock: How To Find & Own America's Greatest Opportunities | Investor's Business DailyBREAKING: [Tech Futures Climb, Dow Lags As F5, Seagate Rally]Investors.com will undergo scheduled maintenance from 10:00 PM ET to 2:00 AM ET and some features may be unavailable. We apologize for any inconvenience.--- Cisco Systems was one of the greatest-performing stocks of the 1990s, making its name as the leading supplier of computer networking gear. Among its products were routers, bridges, terminal servers and n ...

Core Viewpoint - The analysis suggests it may be an appropriate time to divest from Cisco Systems (CSCO) stock, maintaining a generally negative outlook with a potential price target of $54, reflecting a balanced mix of positive and negative factors regarding operational performance and financial health [2][3]. Company Overview - Cisco Systems has a market capitalization of $305 billion and provides Internet Protocol-based networking solutions, including switching, routing, wireless technology, data centers, collaboration tools, IoT solutions, and analytics software for the communications and IT sectors [6]. Financial Performance - Cisco's revenue has grown at an average annual rate of 3.7% over the past three years, with a recent increase of 8.9% from $53 billion to $58 billion in the last year [9]. - Quarterly revenues rose by 7.5% to $15 billion in the most recent quarter compared to $14 billion a year prior [9]. - The operating income for the last year was $13 billion, representing an operating margin of 22.5%, with a cash flow margin of 23.8%, generating approximately $14 billion in operating cash flow [10]. - Cisco produced nearly $10 billion in net income, indicating a net margin of around 17.9% [10]. Debt and Financial Stability - Cisco's debt stood at $28 billion at the end of the most recent quarter, with a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.2% [11]. - The company has $16 billion in cash (including cash equivalents) out of total assets of $121 billion, resulting in a cash-to-assets ratio of 13.0% [11]. - Financial stability appears very strong, although the company has underperformed compared to the S&P 500 during multiple economic downturns [8][12]. Market Position and Valuation - Cisco's core networking business remains resilient, supported by recurring software and services revenue, but growth has been uneven due to enterprise IT spending uncertainty and increased competition in cloud networking and AI infrastructure [3]. - The stock is considered unattractive due to its elevated valuation relative to its growth profile and peers, with limited upside and asymmetric downside risk if macro conditions weaken or AI-driven networking demand does not accelerate as expected [3][7].

Core Insights - Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) is a leading technology company with a market cap of $304.3 billion, specializing in internet technologies including routers, switches, cybersecurity, cloud networking, and data center infrastructure [1] Performance Overview - Over the past 52 weeks, CSCO shares have increased by 32.2%, outperforming the S&P 500 Index, which gained 16% during the same period [2] - Year-to-date, CSCO's stock is up 1.4%, slightly trailing behind the S&P 500's 1.9% return [2] Sector Comparison - CSCO has also outperformed the First Trust NASDAQ Cybersecurity ETF (CIBR), which rose 10.7% over the past 52 weeks and 1.3% year-to-date [3] Analyst Ratings and Growth Expectations - On January 26, CSCO shares rose 3.2% following an upgrade from Evercore Inc. (EVR), which anticipates high single-digit revenue growth and low-teens EPS growth in the coming years, driven by strong demand in campus networking and potential AI-related revenues reaching $3 billion by fiscal 2026 [4] - For the current fiscal year ending in July, analysts project CSCO's EPS to grow by 7.5% year-over-year to $3.30, with a strong earnings surprise history [5] - The consensus rating among 24 analysts is a "Moderate Buy," with 14 "Strong Buy," one "Moderate Buy," and nine "Hold" ratings [5] Price Targets - The configuration of analyst ratings has become more bullish, with 13 analysts suggesting a "Strong Buy" rating [6] - Evercore Inc. upgraded CSCO to "Outperform" with a price target of $100, indicating a 28% upside potential from current levels, while the mean price target of $85.90 suggests a 9.9% premium from current prices [6]

Group 1: Strong Buy Ratings - Technology sector shows strong momentum with five stocks rated as "Strong Buy": Meta Platforms Inc. (META), Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO), Fortinet Inc. (FTNT), Microchip Technology Incorporated (MCHP), and Micron Technology Inc. (MU) [1][2][3][4] - Meta Platforms Inc. has a market capitalization of approximately $1.69 trillion, while Cisco Systems Inc. is valued around $304.27 billion [2] - Fortinet Inc. has a market cap of roughly $61.77 billion, and Microchip Technology Incorporated is valued at approximately $40.42 billion [3][4] - In the industrials sector, SLB Limited (market cap about $74.19 billion) and Quanta Services Inc. (market cap around $70.2 billion) also received "Strong Buy" ratings [2][3] Group 2: Downgrades to Hold - Some large-cap companies faced downgrades to "Hold," indicating a selective market sentiment. Cummins Inc. was downgraded by Wolfe Research, and Public Storage also moved to "Hold" from "Strong Buy" [5] - These downgrades suggest that while certain sectors are favored, investors are cautious about the broader market [5]

Group 1 - iREIT+HOYA Capital focuses on income-producing asset classes that provide sustainable portfolio income, diversification, and inflation hedging [1][2] - The investment group targets high-yield, dividend growth opportunities, offering portfolios with dividend yields up to 10% [2] - The group provides research on various investment vehicles including REITs, ETFs, closed-end funds, preferreds, and dividend champions [2] Group 2 - The article emphasizes the potential of sleeper stocks in the AI-adjacent space, highlighting companies like Cisco Systems, Inc. and Applied Materials, Inc. that may take time to gain traction [2]

Evercore ISI将思科的目标价从80美元上调至100美元，评级从"与大市同步"上调至"跑赢大市"。(格隆 汇) ...

Evercore将思科评级从"与大盘持平"上调至"跑赢大盘"，目标价亦从80美元上调至100美元。Evercore此 次上调评级的核心逻辑在于思科在人工智能(AI)领域的强劲增长势头以及企业网络设备更新换代带来的 周期性机遇。 ...

Core Viewpoint - Zensar Technologies Ltd is experiencing reduced business from Cisco Systems, one of its top clients, due to Cisco's vendor rationalization and cost-cutting measures, which is impacting growth prospects for mid-tier IT outsourcers [1][2][4]. Company Summary - Zensar is expected to lose a portion of its $40 million annual revenue from Cisco, which constitutes approximately 6% of its total business, as Cisco reduces the number of IT vendors it collaborates with [4][6]. - The company reported a revenue of $160.5 million in Q3FY26, reflecting a 1.4% sequential decline, primarily attributed to weakness in the telecom, media, and technology (TMT) sector, which accounts for about 20% of its total business [5][6]. - Zensar's revenue from Cisco has been declining, which could hinder its goal of reaching $1 billion in revenue [4][20]. - The management acknowledges the shift in client spending towards automation and AI-related investments, moving away from traditional IT services [16][20]. Industry Summary - Zensar's challenges are part of a broader trend affecting other Indian IT services companies, particularly mid-sized firms, which have also reported reduced business from major clients [2][9]. - Companies like Sonata Software and LTIMindtree are similarly facing decreased business from significant clients, indicating a widespread issue in the industry [10][11]. - The pressure is beginning to extend to larger players, with Infosys expected to lose substantial revenue from a major client starting next year [13]. - Analysts express caution regarding Zensar's growth prospects, noting that the company has experienced revenue declines in two of the last five years [17][19].

该行分析师进一步解释："在供应端风险犹存的背景下，客户正寻求TH5/TH6之外的多元化方案， Silicon One因此加速渗透。P200为思科打开了基于Scale与Jericho架构的市场，随着云厂商寻求全栈供应 商多元化，这有望推动订单与收入再上新台阶。此外，受800G可插拔光模块部署驱动，思科的光学业 务亦将迎来强劲顺风(增速25%以上)。" 第三，电信与核心企业市场复苏。该行分析师认为，传统企业及电信市场的复苏当前被市场低估，未来 将为思科提供更为多元的增长来源，尤其是在企业着手让网络架构适配AI工作负载之际。 最后，息税前利润率(EBIT margin)扩张。达里亚纳尼团队表示："在中高个位数营收增长的带动下，思 科每年有望实现约50–100个基点的EBIT利润率扩张。风险在于，安全与协作业务或相对中两位数(mid- teens)的增长目标表现不及预期;此外，存储器行业波动也可能带来unforeseen挑战。" 截至周一收盘，该股涨超3%，报77.01美元。 该行分析师指出，此次上调评级的核心逻辑包括： 首先，园区网络(Campus)更新周期。据其渠道调研，客户正向下一代园区解决方案升级，预计该市场 ...

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