Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) Raised to Buy at DZ Bank

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO – Get Rating) was upgraded by DZ Bank from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Friday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $58.00 price objective on the network equipment provider’s stock. DZ Bank’s target price indicates a potential upside of 13.75% from the stock’s previous close.

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Several other research analysts have also commented on the company. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $52.00 price target on shares of Cisco Systems in a research report on Wednesday, November 16th. Rosenblatt Securities cut their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $53.00 to $51.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 17th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Cisco Systems from $52.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised shares of Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Cisco Systems from $52.00 to $57.00 in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.05.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 5.2 %

Shares of Cisco Systems stock opened at $50.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The stock has a market cap of $209.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.68, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $48.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.91. Cisco Systems has a 1 year low of $38.60 and a 1 year high of $57.69.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 15th. The network equipment provider reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.41 billion. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 21.26% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.77 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Cisco Systems will post 3.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cisco Systems news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 115,868 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.64, for a total value of $5,635,819.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 827,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $40,260,398.08. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO Charles Robbins sold 115,868 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.64, for a total value of $5,635,819.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 827,722 shares in the company, valued at $40,260,398.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jeffery S. Sharritts sold 637 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.08, for a total value of $31,900.96. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 276,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,851,577.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 243,098 shares of company stock valued at $11,939,277. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Cisco Systems

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ascent Group LLC lifted its stake in Cisco Systems by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 108,291 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,159,000 after buying an additional 10,349 shares in the last quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the fourth quarter worth approximately $323,000. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems during the fourth quarter worth approximately $615,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Cisco Systems by 58.7% in the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 70,769 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,371,000 after purchasing an additional 26,173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alpha Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Cisco Systems in the 4th quarter valued at $259,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.10% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems Company Profile

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Cisco Systems, Inc engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of Internet Protocol-based networking products and services related to the communications and information technology industry. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: the Americas, EMEA, and APJC. Its products include the following categories: Switches, Routers, Wireless, Network Management Interfaces and Modules, Optical Networking, Access Points, Outdoor and Industrial Access Points, Next-Generation Firewalls, Advanced Malware Protection, VPN Security Clients, Email, and Web Security.

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