Cisco Systems(US:CSCO)2025-05-14 21:32Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q3, total revenue was $14.1 billion, up 11% year over year [25] - Non-GAAP net income was $3.8 billion, with non-GAAP earnings per share at $0.96 [25] - Total product revenue increased to $10.4 billion, up 15%, while services revenue rose to $3.8 billion, up 3% [25] - Total annual recurring revenue (ARR) ended at $30.6 billion, a 5% increase, with subscription revenue up 15% to $7.9 billion, representing 56% of total revenue [26] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Networking revenue grew 8%, driven by double-digit growth in switching and enterprise routing, but offset by a decline in servers [26] - Security revenue surged 54%, primarily due to growth in Splunk and SASE offerings [26] - Collaboration revenue increased by 4%, while observability revenue rose by 24% [26] - Product orders were up 20% year over year, with a 9% increase when excluding Splunk [27] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - In geographic segments, The Americas saw a 27% increase, EMEA was up 4%, and APJC grew by 21% [27] - In customer markets, Service Provider and Cloud orders increased by 32%, Enterprise orders were up 22%, and Public Sector orders rose by 8% [27] Company Strategy and Development Direction - Cisco is focusing on AI infrastructure, with over $600 million in AI infrastructure orders from web scale customers in Q3, surpassing the fiscal year target a quarter early [6][11] - The company is expanding partnerships, including a significant collaboration with NVIDIA to enhance AI deployment capabilities [12][14] - Cisco is investing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a strategic technology partner for AI infrastructure, aligning with the country's Vision 2030 [13] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that customer purchasing behavior remains strong despite macroeconomic uncertainties, particularly in AI transitions [36] - The company anticipates continued growth in AI orders, with a focus on executing and increasing capacity to meet demand [84] - Management expressed confidence in the long-term growth opportunities in AI and cloud infrastructure, expecting sustained investment from customers [50][51] Other Important Information - Cisco returned $3.1 billion to shareholders in Q3 through dividends and share repurchases [7] - The company announced the retirement of CFO Scott Herren at the end of fiscal year 2025, with Mark Patterson set to take over [20][23] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are you seeing in terms of customer buying behavior given the uncertainty with tariffs? - Management indicated no significant changes in purchasing behavior, with customers still committed to technology transitions [36][37] Question: Can you elaborate on the public sector performance? - Public sector orders were up 8%, with double-digit growth in U.S. Federal orders, despite challenges in the civilian sector [45][46] Question: Is 2025 expected to be a peak year for cloud CapEx? - Management believes that global cloud CapEx will continue to grow, with significant opportunities in enterprise AI [49][51] Question: Can you provide insights on the $600 million AI orders? - The $600 million in AI orders was not from the new Saudi AI company, but management expects substantial future opportunities in that region [56][58] Question: What is the impact of tariffs on guidance for Q4? - Management has built in expectations for tariffs in the Q4 guidance, reflecting potential impacts on gross margins [96]