Cisco to Report Q3 Earnings, Price Target Raised to $110
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: May 13 2026
0mins
Ciscois scheduled to report results of its fiscal third quarter after the market closes on May 13 with a conference call scheduled for 4:30 pm ET. What to watch for:GUIDANCE:Along with its last report, Cisco guided for Q3 adjusted earnings per share of $1.02-$1.04 on revenue of $15.4B-$15.6B. At the time, analysts were expecting the company to report Q3 EPS of $1.03 on revenue of $15.21B, but those figures have since risen to $1.04 and $15.56B, respectively.BWG DOWNGRADE:Last month, BWG Global downgraded its view of Cisco to Mixed from Positive, citing checks.EVERCORE:Last week, Evercore ISI raised the firm's price target on Cisco to $110 from $100 and maintained an Outperform rating on the shares, calling the company's Silicon One, an "underappreciated lever for upside."JPMORGAN:In mid-April, JPMorgan raised the firm's price target on Cisco to $96 from $95 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm adjusted ratings and targets in the hardware and networking group as part of a Q1 preview. JPMorgan expects AI infrastructure investments across server, switches, copper interconnects and optical to drive upside to AI-levered suppliers in Q1.TRUIST INITIATION:In late March, Truist initiated coverage of Cisco with a Buy rating and $94 price target. Networking and Hardware represents the group most directly linked to elevated AI and cloud investment at a time when U.S. hyperscaler capex alone is forecasted to total about $700B in 2026, the analyst tells investors while rolling out coverage of the group. The firm, which favors a more selective approach to the stocks considering relatively higher valuations, names Arista Networks, Cisco, HPEand Motorola Solutionsamong its favorites in the group.ASTRIX:Last week, Peter Bailey, the SVP and GM of Cisco's Security business, announced Cisco's intent to acquire Astrix Security, a company engaged in Non-Human Identity Security. "The addition of Astrix Security brings deep capability to discover and secure every AI agent and non-human identity, including excessive privileges and real-time threats, enabling organizations to adopt AI securely and at scale," Bailey said in a statement, adding that "We plan to integrate Astrix Security's capabilities into Cisco Identity Intelligence, strengthening visibility and context across identities within the Cisco Security platform."
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy CSCO?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on CSCO
Wall Street analysts forecast CSCO stock price to fall
13 Analyst Rating
10 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 121.330
Low
76.00
Averages
91.30
High
100.00
Current: 121.330
Low
76.00
Averages
91.30
High
100.00
About CSCO
Cisco Systems, Inc. designs and sells a range of technologies that power the Internet. The Company is integrating its product portfolios across networking, security, collaboration, applications and cloud. The Company's segments include the Americas; Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and Asia Pacific, Japan, and China (APJC). Its Networking product category represents its core networking technologies of switching, routing, wireless, fifth generation (5G), silicon, optics solutions and compute products. Its Security product category consists of its cloud and application security, industrial security, network security, and user and device security offerings. Its Collaboration product category consists of its meetings, collaboration devices, calling, contact center and platform as a service (CPaaS) offering. Its Observability product category consists of its full stack observability offerings.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Dow Jones Rises Amid Ongoing U.S.-Iran Talks; Celestica Sees Major Movement
- Dow Jones Rises: The Dow Jones index climbed on Tuesday amid ongoing U.S.-Iran talks, reflecting market optimism regarding diplomatic progress, which could enhance investor confidence and drive further stock market gains.
- Celestica's Major Movement: Celestica's stock experienced significant fluctuations, potentially linked to its latest earnings report or market dynamics, which may attract short-term traders and impact its shareholder structure.
- Nvidia's Decline: Nvidia's stock fell, likely due to market concerns about its future performance, especially in the context of increasing competition, which could affect its market share and investor confidence.
- Market Sentiment Shifts: Overall market sentiment fluctuated due to international political dynamics, prompting investors to monitor the progress of negotiations in the coming days to assess potential impacts on the stock market.
See More
US Stocks Rise Slightly, Tech Stocks Show Strong Rebound
- Strong Labor Market: US April JOLTS job openings unexpectedly rose by 731,000 to a 23-month high of 7.618 million, surpassing expectations of 6.866 million, indicating labor market resilience and driving stock market gains, particularly in tech stocks.
- Tech Stock Surge: Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) shares surged over 25% after reporting Q2 adjusted EPS of 79 cents, significantly above the consensus estimate of 54 cents, and raising its full-year adjusted EPS forecast to $3.35-$3.45, reflecting robust growth in AI-driven demand.
- Market Volatility Factors: Despite overall market gains, initial declines occurred due to uncertainty surrounding a US-Iran ceasefire, with oil prices slightly down as President Trump stated negotiations with Iran are progressing “at a rapid pace,” potentially affecting investor sentiment.
- Software Stocks Under Pressure: Intuit (INTU) saw its stock drop over 10% after Goldman Sachs downgraded it to sell with a price target of $276, leading to a broader decline in the software sector, highlighting a divergence in market performance among tech stocks.
See More
Surge in Options Trading Volume for Corning and Cisco
- Corning Options Volume: Corning Inc's options trading volume reached 67,232 contracts, representing approximately 6.7 million shares, which is about 43.7% of its average daily trading volume of 15.4 million shares over the past month, indicating heightened market interest in its future performance.
- High Strike Call Options: Within Corning, the $230 strike call option saw a trading volume of 2,767 contracts today, representing approximately 276,700 underlying shares, suggesting investor expectations for a price increase in the future.
- Cisco Options Activity: Cisco Systems Inc's options trading volume stood at 122,259 contracts, equivalent to about 12.2 million shares, accounting for 42.6% of its average daily trading volume of 28.7 million shares over the past month, reflecting strong market activity around its stock.
- Cisco High Strike Call Options: For Cisco, the $130 strike call option recorded a trading volume of 7,851 contracts today, representing approximately 785,100 shares, indicating investor confidence in a potential rise in its stock price.
See More
Cisco Launches Cloud Control Platform, Stock Hits Record Highs
- Cloud Control Platform Launch: Cisco's newly unveiled Cloud Control platform integrates human operators with autonomous AI agents to enhance monitoring and defense of corporate infrastructure, resulting in a 5% stock price increase to record highs, indicating strong market confidence in its innovative technology.
- Enhanced Real-Time Security: The updated Live Protect feature provides automated security patches without requiring software upgrades or system reboots, effectively eliminating operational downtime during critical vulnerability responses, thereby improving corporate security efficiency.
- Quantum Safety Upgrade Initiative: Cisco has introduced a comprehensive framework for quantum-safe upgrades and risk assessments, specifically targeting 'harvest now, decrypt later' hacker tactics, aimed at bolstering corporate defenses against future quantum computing risks and ensuring data security.
- Market Sentiment Analysis: While retail sentiment on Stocktwits leans bearish, some users remain optimistic about Cisco's future, suggesting it could be the next company to reach a $1 trillion market cap, reflecting market expectations for its long-term growth potential.
See More
Cisco Launches AI Agent Software Suite for Cybersecurity
- AI Agent Tool Launch: Cisco has introduced its new Cloud Control software suite designed to help businesses and governments build their own AI agents to protect IT infrastructure from cybersecurity threats, addressing the increasingly complex landscape of cyberattacks.
- Market Demand Driven: With the impending release of Anthropic's Mythos model raising concerns over potential cyberattack risks, Cisco executives emphasize that IT managers must respond at machine scale, as traditional human-scale responses are no longer sufficient.
- Coding Tool Integration: Cisco has embedded OpenAI's Codex within the Cloud Control platform, offering a marketplace similar to an app store where companies can quickly select coding tools to build AI defense agents, which is expected to enhance customer development efficiency.
- Economic Model Exploration: Cisco plans to take a cut from sales through the marketplace, although the exact percentage is yet to be determined; executives indicate that the economic model will favor the company to support ongoing technology development and operations.
See More
Cisco Launches Cloud Control Platform for AI and Human Collaboration
- Cloud Control Platform Launch: Cisco unveiled its Cloud Control platform at Cisco Live, designed to unify human and AI agent collaboration for enhanced management of critical IT infrastructure, allowing customers to build applications using natural language, thereby increasing operational flexibility and responsiveness.
- Security Innovations Expansion: Cisco has expanded its Live Protect feature to shield more products from newly discovered vulnerabilities at runtime without requiring reboots or upgrades, significantly enhancing customer security capabilities and reducing potential business disruption risks.
- Quantum-Safe Infrastructure: Cisco commits to enabling quantum-safe communications across its core portfolio by the end of 2026, introducing Quantum Ready Assessments to help enterprises identify assets most exposed to
See More
Dow Jones Rises Amid Ongoing U.S.-Iran Talks; Celestica Sees Major Movement
- Dow Jones Rises: The Dow Jones index climbed on Tuesday amid ongoing U.S.-Iran talks, reflecting market optimism regarding diplomatic progress, which could enhance investor confidence and drive further stock market gains.
- Celestica's Major Movement: Celestica's stock experienced significant fluctuations, potentially linked to its latest earnings report or market dynamics, which may attract short-term traders and impact its shareholder structure.
- Nvidia's Decline: Nvidia's stock fell, likely due to market concerns about its future performance, especially in the context of increasing competition, which could affect its market share and investor confidence.
- Market Sentiment Shifts: Overall market sentiment fluctuated due to international political dynamics, prompting investors to monitor the progress of negotiations in the coming days to assess potential impacts on the stock market.
See More
US Stocks Rise Slightly, Tech Stocks Show Strong Rebound
- Strong Labor Market: US April JOLTS job openings unexpectedly rose by 731,000 to a 23-month high of 7.618 million, surpassing expectations of 6.866 million, indicating labor market resilience and driving stock market gains, particularly in tech stocks.
- Tech Stock Surge: Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) shares surged over 25% after reporting Q2 adjusted EPS of 79 cents, significantly above the consensus estimate of 54 cents, and raising its full-year adjusted EPS forecast to $3.35-$3.45, reflecting robust growth in AI-driven demand.
- Market Volatility Factors: Despite overall market gains, initial declines occurred due to uncertainty surrounding a US-Iran ceasefire, with oil prices slightly down as President Trump stated negotiations with Iran are progressing “at a rapid pace,” potentially affecting investor sentiment.
- Software Stocks Under Pressure: Intuit (INTU) saw its stock drop over 10% after Goldman Sachs downgraded it to sell with a price target of $276, leading to a broader decline in the software sector, highlighting a divergence in market performance among tech stocks.
See More
Surge in Options Trading Volume for Corning and Cisco
- Corning Options Volume: Corning Inc's options trading volume reached 67,232 contracts, representing approximately 6.7 million shares, which is about 43.7% of its average daily trading volume of 15.4 million shares over the past month, indicating heightened market interest in its future performance.
- High Strike Call Options: Within Corning, the $230 strike call option saw a trading volume of 2,767 contracts today, representing approximately 276,700 underlying shares, suggesting investor expectations for a price increase in the future.
- Cisco Options Activity: Cisco Systems Inc's options trading volume stood at 122,259 contracts, equivalent to about 12.2 million shares, accounting for 42.6% of its average daily trading volume of 28.7 million shares over the past month, reflecting strong market activity around its stock.
- Cisco High Strike Call Options: For Cisco, the $130 strike call option recorded a trading volume of 7,851 contracts today, representing approximately 785,100 shares, indicating investor confidence in a potential rise in its stock price.
See More
Cisco Launches Cloud Control Platform, Stock Hits Record Highs
- Cloud Control Platform Launch: Cisco's newly unveiled Cloud Control platform integrates human operators with autonomous AI agents to enhance monitoring and defense of corporate infrastructure, resulting in a 5% stock price increase to record highs, indicating strong market confidence in its innovative technology.
- Enhanced Real-Time Security: The updated Live Protect feature provides automated security patches without requiring software upgrades or system reboots, effectively eliminating operational downtime during critical vulnerability responses, thereby improving corporate security efficiency.
- Quantum Safety Upgrade Initiative: Cisco has introduced a comprehensive framework for quantum-safe upgrades and risk assessments, specifically targeting 'harvest now, decrypt later' hacker tactics, aimed at bolstering corporate defenses against future quantum computing risks and ensuring data security.
- Market Sentiment Analysis: While retail sentiment on Stocktwits leans bearish, some users remain optimistic about Cisco's future, suggesting it could be the next company to reach a $1 trillion market cap, reflecting market expectations for its long-term growth potential.
See More
Cisco Launches AI Agent Software Suite for Cybersecurity
- AI Agent Tool Launch: Cisco has introduced its new Cloud Control software suite designed to help businesses and governments build their own AI agents to protect IT infrastructure from cybersecurity threats, addressing the increasingly complex landscape of cyberattacks.
- Market Demand Driven: With the impending release of Anthropic's Mythos model raising concerns over potential cyberattack risks, Cisco executives emphasize that IT managers must respond at machine scale, as traditional human-scale responses are no longer sufficient.
- Coding Tool Integration: Cisco has embedded OpenAI's Codex within the Cloud Control platform, offering a marketplace similar to an app store where companies can quickly select coding tools to build AI defense agents, which is expected to enhance customer development efficiency.
- Economic Model Exploration: Cisco plans to take a cut from sales through the marketplace, although the exact percentage is yet to be determined; executives indicate that the economic model will favor the company to support ongoing technology development and operations.
See More
Cisco Launches Cloud Control Platform for AI and Human Collaboration
- Cloud Control Platform Launch: Cisco unveiled its Cloud Control platform at Cisco Live, designed to unify human and AI agent collaboration for enhanced management of critical IT infrastructure, allowing customers to build applications using natural language, thereby increasing operational flexibility and responsiveness.
- Security Innovations Expansion: Cisco has expanded its Live Protect feature to shield more products from newly discovered vulnerabilities at runtime without requiring reboots or upgrades, significantly enhancing customer security capabilities and reducing potential business disruption risks.
- Quantum-Safe Infrastructure: Cisco commits to enabling quantum-safe communications across its core portfolio by the end of 2026, introducing Quantum Ready Assessments to help enterprises identify assets most exposed to
See More
