What to Look For in Cisco Earnings
Cisco Systems is expected to release its fiscal fourth-quarter financial results after the markets close on Wednesday.
Networking giant Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is set to release its fiscal fourth-quarter financial results after the markets close on Wednesday. The consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters call for $0.56 in earnings per share (EPS) on $12.65 billion in revenue. In the same period of the previous year, the networking giant posted EPS of $0.55 and $12.36 billion in revenue.
Note that 24/7 Wall St. has Cisco picked as one of the 10 stocks to own for the next decade.
The company is trading at a low 13.0 estimated 2015 earnings. The networking giant also seems to have fought through numerous headwinds, including up and down demand from telecom carriers, weakness in emerging markets and threats to its very lucrative switching business.
Earlier in 2015, Cisco won a pivotal contract for the Verizon build-out of its next-generation 100G metro network. While Cisco’s optical business is small as a part of total revenue, this win is seen by Wall Street as a significant endorsement of the investments Cisco has made into its optics business.
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Apart from this, Cisco needs storage. Some would suppose that the company is also looking at cybersecurity software. A rumor came up last spring that FireEye was under consideration, but Cisco denied this. Still, Cisco now has a new CEO, and he has already been redirecting the company.
Analysts across Wall Street point to an estimated double-digit bookings momentum for Cisco’s Meraki Cloud Services. Many think that Meraki is likely to be a $1 billion plus run-rate business this year, with an incredible 50% to 70% compounded annual growth rate. A jump from 40 GE to 100 GE data center switching and next generation security also are adding to the total sales profile and product mix.
A few analysts weighed in on Cisco ahead of earnings:
- Deutsche Bank reiterated a Buy rating with a $35 price target.
- Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a Buy rating with a $36 price target.
- Morgan Stanley reiterated a Buy rating with a $30 price target.
- Wells Fargo reiterated a Buy rating.
- Oppenheimer reiterated a Buy rating with a $32 price target.
Shares of Cisco were down 1.5% at $28.16 Monday morning. The stock has a consensus analyst price target of $31.17 and a 52-week trading range of $22.49 to $30.31.
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Chris Lange is a financial and geopolitical writer with more than a decade of experience covering a myriad of topics. He has published thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St., with past coverage focused heavily on stocks, IPOs, healthcare, defense, global affairs, and technology.
His work has been quoted, or referenced by a number of outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, and many other publications. A graduate of Southwestern University, he studied business with a focus on investments and has previous experience in banking and startups.
When not reading or writing the news, he is following his passion for Lacrosse, playing chess, or building solar projects with his dad.
