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Cisco Systems Attracts Analyst Attention with Price Target Adjustments and Shareholder Approval

Cisco

Business Honor
30 December, 2025

Analysts express varied sentiments on Cisco as it expands its stock incentive plan and navigates the evolving AI landscape.

Cisco Systems, Inc. has a positive outlook among more than half of analysts covering its stock as of December 26, 2023. More than half of the analyst community has issued "buy" or equivalent commendations for Cisco stock, and the average one year price target is $86.50 which represents an upside potential of 10.84% based on current trading levels. On the other hand, Tim Long of Barclays has taken a more cautious approach and reaffirmed a "hold" rating for Cisco with a price target of $76 on December 11. On December 17 Morgan Stanley made a more buoyant assessment of Cisco's stock by raising Cisco’s target price from $82 to $91 while retaining an “Overweight” rating on Cisco’s stock.

This move represents an upside potential of approximately 17% from today’s price of Cisco’s stock. The analyst noted an important change within the overall marketplace and stated that AI (artificial intelligence) has expanded its reach outside of just semiconductor companies this year and rather, now the focus has turned toward investing in companies providing infrastructure, more specifically companies providing optical type technology. While the analyst expects this increase in trading activity around AI-related companies to continue into the first half of next year, the analyst cautioned that while the gains should continue, investors will need to be very selective to achieve overall returns throughout the remainder of the year.

Cisco has made headlines in stock market news with the approval of a new, updated 2005 Stock Incentive Plan by shareholders at their Annual Meeting on December 17, 2005. The revised plan adds 57,490,000 additional shares that can be issued pursuant to the Plan. Both analysts and investors view Cisco Systems as a key player in the technology sector because of how the company adapts to changes in the market and creative investment strategies. Cisco is viewed favorably, but tempered with caution in selecting only the best investments in a constantly changing environment that often provides fewer opportunities.