Carret Asset Management LLC Reduces Position in Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)

Carret Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO – Get Rating) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 217,622 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after selling 505 shares during the quarter. Cisco Systems accounts for about 1.4% of Carret Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Carret Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Cisco Systems were worth $10,368,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Syverson Strege & Co boosted its position in shares of Cisco Systems by 68.9% during the second quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 591 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the period. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 164.0% in the second quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 813 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares during the period. JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 297.7% in the third quarter. JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd now owns 1,193 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 893 shares during the period. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Cisco Systems in the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cisco Systems by 186.4% in the third quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 1,220 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 794 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.10% of the company’s stock.

Cisco Systems Price Performance

NASDAQ CSCO opened at $50.19 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $48.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.32. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.60 and a 1 year high of $56.94. The company has a market cap of $205.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.38, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.00.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 15th. The network equipment provider reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.12. Cisco Systems had a net margin of 21.26% and a return on equity of 31.19%. The company had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.77 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Cisco Systems, Inc. will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Cisco Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 5th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.11%. This is a positive change from Cisco Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 4th. Cisco Systems’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cisco Systems

In other Cisco Systems news, SVP Prat Bhatt sold 608 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.74, for a total value of $29,633.92. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 50,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,444,895.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Prat Bhatt sold 608 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.74, for a total transaction of $29,633.92. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 50,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,444,895.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Deborah L. Stahlkopf sold 3,142 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.78, for a total transaction of $153,266.76. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 180,697 shares in the company, valued at $8,814,399.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 47,568 shares of company stock valued at $2,376,624. 0.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on CSCO shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on Cisco Systems from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 16th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $50.00 price objective on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Friday, November 18th. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Cisco Systems in a research note on Friday. TheStreet raised shares of Cisco Systems from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Monday, November 28th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Cisco Systems from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cisco Systems currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $56.38.

Cisco Systems 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.