CSCO CISCO SYSTEMS, INC.

Price Chart

Executive Summary

Evercore ISI upgraded Cisco Systems (CSCO) from In-Line to Outperform on Jan 26, raising its price target 25% to $100 from $80, implying 9.3% upside from the current $91.50. The call is part of a cluster of 17 analyst actions on CSCO, though the most recent move was a downgrade by BWG Global on Apr 23. Evercore ISI has a 67% accuracy rate on 6 rated stocks with an average return of 9.7%, placing it among top-tier firms covering CSCO. Consensus remains strongly bullish with 23 Buy/Strong Buy ratings (72%) vs 9 Hold, yet the mean target of $89.09 sits 2.6% below the current price. Price targets range from $75 to $100, and Evercore's new $100 target is the joint highest alongside Rosenblatt. EPS estimates for the current quarter have seen 1 upward revision in the past 30 days with no downward revisions, indicating slight positive estimate momentum. However, insider selling has been consistent with 5 trades in March totaling over $1.2M, while congressional activity shows 4 buys and short interest is elevated at 63.9% of off-exchange volume. The combination of a top-tier double upgrade, upward earnings revisions, and high short interest creates a potential squeeze setup, but near-term caution is warranted given the recent downgrade and persistent insider selling.

Impact Score

Consensus & Targets

Of 32 analysts covering CSCO, 23 rate it Buy or Strong Buy (72%), 9 rate it Hold (28%), and 0 rate it Sell. The consensus is strongly bullish, though the mean price target of $89.09 implies 2.6% downside from the current price of $91.50.

The mean target is $89.09, median $90, high $100, low $75. Current price $91.50 trades above the mean, implying limited upside by consensus. Evercore's $100 target is at the high end, matching Rosenblatt, and suggests 9.3% upside. The wide range from $75 to $100 reflects significant dispersion in views.

Recent Analyst Activity

In the past 30 days, analyst actions show 0 upgrades and 1 downgrade (BWG Global to Mixed on Apr 23). EPS estimates for the current quarter (ending Apr 2026) have seen 1 upward revision in the past 7 days and 1 in 30 days with no downward revisions, indicating slight positive estimate momentum. The current quarter EPS estimate of $1.036 is up from $1.035 a week ago.

Firm Track Record — Evercore ISI Group

Evercore ISI Group accuracy: 59% on 2664 calls | avg return: 4.6%

Industry benchmark: mean 51% ± 11%. Top tier: ≥61% (mean + 1σ). Based on 15 firms with ≥5 scored calls.

Evercore ISI has a 67% accuracy rate on 6 rated stocks, with an average return of 9.7%, placing it in the top tier. The best performing firm on CSCO is Morgan Stanley (86% on 7, avg return 8.5%); the worst is Melius Research (0% on 2, avg return -3.4%). Evercore ranks above the average firm tracked here.

Earnings Estimates

Next earnings: May 12, 2026

Cross-Platform Signals

Insider trading shows 5 sells in March totaling ~$1.25M with no buys, a bearish signal. Congressional trading shows 4 buys from three members (Khanna, Salazar, Letlow) in Feb-Mar, a bullish political signal. Institutional activity is mixed: Norges Bank opened a massive $4.5B position but also appears to have exited an earlier position; Dodge & Cox trimmed 25.1%, Renaissance exited, while Two Sigma more than doubled (+563.1%). Short interest is elevated at 63.9% of off-exchange volume, indicating high bearish positioning. The analyst upgrade diverges from insider selling but converges with congressional buys and some institutional accumulation.

Documents Analyzed

Report based on filing metadata.

US Market Status