Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) managed to beat a low bar in its third-quarter earnings report, and CEO John Chambers managed to guide estimates ahead that were full of less revenue contraction than expected. Now we have seen many analysts chime in on the networking and communications equipment giant.
Adjusted earnings were $0.51 per share, compared with Thomson Reuters estimate of $0.48 and the WhisperNumber.com estimate of $0.50 per share. Revenues were down less than expected to $11.55 billion, versus a Thomson Reuters consensus drop of 7% to $11.38 billion. Cisco gave guidance of $0.51 to $0.53 earnings per share and for revenues to be down by only 1% to 3% in the fourth quarter, versus a Thomson Reuters consensus earnings estimate of $0.51 per share and for revenues to be down 5% to $11.77 billion.
24/7 Wall St. has compiled an analyst montage summary for its readers. Many analysts are more positive on Cisco now, or maybe they are just less negative than they were. Still, some remain cautious due to limited growth and mature markets.
These are the major calls we have seen, although there are others, and there will be more by the end of the week:
- Sterne Agee raised its estimates and raised its Buy rating price target to $26.
- Oppenheimer reiterated its Outperform rating and raised its price target to $27.
- BMO Capital markets maintained its Outperform rating and raised its price target to $27.
- Bank of America Merrill Lynch reiterated its Buy rating and raised its price target to $28.
- Goldman Sachs maintained its Buy rating and raised its price target to $28.
- Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated its Buy rating and raised its price target to $29.
- Credit Suisse maintained its Underperform rating and its $20 price target.
- FBR Capital Markets maintained its Market Perform rating, but it raised its target to $23.
READ MORE: Seven Stocks Likely to Rise Cisco’s Earnings Coat Tails
Shortly before noon on Thursday, Cisco shares were up 7.1% at $24.43, and the 52-week range is $20.22 to $26.49.
Going into earnings, the consensus price target from analysts was about $23.95. That now screens out at $24.07, but the adjusted targets above are enough that the consensus price target may be closer to $24.50 or even $25 by next week, after the rest of the analyst reports get factored in.
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