Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) Shares Bought by Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) by 7.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 65,809 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,600 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $3,325,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Talbot Financial LLC raised its stake in Cisco Systems by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Talbot Financial LLC now owns 167,474 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $9,003,000 after acquiring an additional 687 shares during the last quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 1.5% during the third quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC now owns 60,710 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $3,264,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the period. Tcwp LLC grew its position in Cisco Systems by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Tcwp LLC now owns 45,864 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,466,000 after buying an additional 421 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Cisco Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Channel Wealth LLC raised its position in Cisco Systems by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Channel Wealth LLC now owns 9,766 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $525,000 after buying an additional 831 shares during the last quarter. 73.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Cisco Systems

In related news, CFO Richard Scott Herren sold 13,942 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $697,100.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 328,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,424,550. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CFO Richard Scott Herren sold 13,942 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $697,100.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 328,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,424,550. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 3,002 shares of Cisco Systems stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.01, for a total value of $150,130.02. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 191,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,579,865.59. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 19,441 shares of company stock valued at $972,080. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems Stock Up 0.7 %

Cisco Systems stock traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $47.12. 17,935,302 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,219,910. The company has a market cap of $190.80 billion, a PE ratio of 14.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.87. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $45.56 and a fifty-two week high of $58.19. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $48.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.26.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The network equipment provider reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.03. Cisco Systems had a return on equity of 33.01% and a net margin of 23.49%. The firm had revenue of $12.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.76 earnings per share. Cisco Systems’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 4th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. This is an increase from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 3rd. Cisco Systems’s payout ratio is 48.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of Cisco Systems in a report on Monday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Cisco Systems in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $53.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Cisco Systems in a report on Thursday, February 15th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $52.00 price target for the company. Melius lowered shares of Cisco Systems from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Cisco Systems in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $58.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.53.

About Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems, Inc designs, manufactures, and sells Internet Protocol based networking and other products related to the communications and information technology industry in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, Japan, and China. The company also offers switching portfolio encompasses campus switching as well as data center switching; enterprise routing portfolio interconnects public and private wireline and mobile networks, delivering highly secure, and reliable connectivity to campus, data center and branch networks; wireless products include wireless access points and controllers; and compute portfolio including the cisco unified computing system, hyperflex, and software management capabilities, which combine computing, networking, and storage infrastructure management and virtualization.