Cisco Analysts Brace For Q1 Beat As Spending Environment Improves: Retail Mood Buoyant

Splunk synergies or networking pull-through from a stronger security portfolio would be needed for meaningful stock upside, an analyst said.

📰 Article Image

Cisco will likely report strong order growth as spending environment improves. | Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

👤

Shanthi M · Stocktwits

Published Nov 13, 2024, 4:53 PM

CSCO

Networking giant Cisco Systems, Inc. ($CSCO) is scheduled to report its fiscal 2025 first-quarter results after the market closes on Wednesday. 

Analysts, on average, expect the San Jose, California-based company to report non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) $0.87 and revenue of $13.78 billion. This marks a decline from the year-ago quarter’s $1.11 and $14.7 billion, respectively

Morgan Stanley analyst Meta Marshall expects a small top-line beat as results from peers and checks show a gradual improvement in spend environment amid dissipation in “inventory digestion” headwinds

The analyst predicts that Cisco stock will move higher following the print, catalyzed by strong orders. She models a 30% year-over-year (YoY) increase in organic orders. 

But Splunk synergies or networking pull-through from a stronger security portfolio would be needed for meaningful upside, the analyst said.

Cisco completed its $28 billion all-cash acquisition of data analytics and intelligence software company Splunk in mid-March.

Marshall expects upside relative to EPS expectations due to RIG/Splunk synergies.

Morgan Stanley has an “Overweight” rating and $58 price target for Cisco shares. 

On Tuesday, JP Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee upgraded Cisco shares from “Neutral” to “Overweight” and upped the price target from $55 to $66. The analyst premised his optimism on the recovery cycle in enterprise networking demand, the recent investment in the security segment and the stock trading off its peak valuation multiple.

CSCO-SENTIMENT.png
CSCO sentiment and message volume November 13, 2024, as of 11:50 am ET | Source: Stocktwits

Retail mood is “extremely bullish” (77/100) on Stocktwits platform, with message volume spiking to “extremely” high.

As of 11:50 am ET, Cisco shares edged up 0.09% to $58.76.

Read Next: Tesla Stock Rebounds As Trump Taps Elon Musk For Government Efficiency Role: Analyst Hails ‘Poker Move For Ages’, Retail Holds Back

For updates and corrections email newsroom@stocktwits.com