Price Chart

Executive Summary

Deutsche Bank initiated coverage on CSCO at Buy with a $135 price target, implying 23% upside from the current $109.74. The firm's 58% accuracy on 986 calls and 5.2% average return place it slightly below the peer average for this ticker. Consensus is heavily bullish — 24 of 35 analysts rate Buy or Strong Buy, 11 Hold, zero Sell. The mean target of $137.74 offers 25.5% upside, with a high of $170 and low of $115. Deutsche Bank's $135 target is exactly at the median, in line with consensus. Over the past 30 days, analysts have been net neutral (1 upgrade vs 1 downgrade), but EPS revisions for the current quarter are strongly positive — 15 upward revisions vs 0 down in 30 days. Insider selling is notable: EVP Subaiya Thimaya K. sold ~$650K on Aug 19, and CEO Charles Robbins sold ~$1.96M on Aug 14. These sales align with the bullish initiation, reducing the contrarian signal. Short interest is elevated at 57.6% of TRF volume, suggesting bearish positioning that could fuel a squeeze if the stock rallies. Bottom line: a consensus-aligned initiation from a below-average-accuracy firm, with concurrent insider selling, makes this a modestly positive but not high-conviction call.

Impact Score

Consensus & Targets

Full consensus: 7 Strong Buy, 17 Buy, 11 Hold, 0 Sell, 0 Strong Sell — 24 of 35 analysts (68.6%) are bullish. The consensus is heavily skewed to the buy side, with no sell ratings. This initiation aligns with the prevailing bullish view.

Current price: $109.74. Mean target: $137.74 (25.5% upside). Median: $135. High: $170 (54.9% upside). Low: $115 (4.8% upside). Deutsche Bank's $135 target is exactly at the median, in line with the consensus midpoint. The wide range ($115-$170) reflects significant disagreement among analysts.

Recent Analyst Activity

30-day analyst activity: 1 upgrade (Deutsche Bank initiation) and 1 downgrade (HSBC from Buy to Hold on Aug 14). EPS revisions are strongly positive for the current quarter — 15 upward revisions vs 0 down in 30 days, with EPS estimates rising from $1.14693 to $1.32536. For the current fiscal year, 2 upward vs 1 downward revision in 30 days. Estimates are being revised higher, supporting the bullish case.

Firm Track Record — Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank accuracy: 58% on 986 calls | avg return: 5.2%

Industry benchmark: mean 51% ± 11%. Top tier: ≥61% (mean + 1σ). Based on 15 firms with ≥5 scored calls.

Deutsche Bank has a 58% accuracy rate on 986 calls and a 5.2% average return, ranking below average vs peers covering CSCO. Top-tier firms include Morgan Stanley (86% on 7 calls, 8.5% avg return), Piper Sandler (78% on 9 calls, 9.6% avg return), and Needham (75% on 4 calls, 5.5% avg return). Lowest accuracy: Melius Research (0% on 2 calls, -3.4% avg return) and Keybanc (0% on 2 calls, -1% avg return).

Earnings Estimates

Cross-Platform Signals

Insider trades: EVP Subaiya Thimaya K. sold ~$650K on Aug 19, and CEO Charles Robbins sold ~$1.96M on Aug 14. These are significant sales by top executives, which typically reduce the bullish signal. Congressional activity: 4 small sells ($1K-$15K each) by Rep. Rich McCormick and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito in June-July 2026 — negligible. Institutional changes: mixed — INTECH trimmed 32.9%, PINEBRIDGE trimmed 39.2%, but AXIOM initiated a new $76.5M position and Centiva Capital more than doubled its stake (+1173.6%). Short interest is 57.6% of TRF volume, elevated and suggesting bearish positioning that could amplify upside moves. The insider selling diverges from the bullish analyst signal, reducing conviction.

Investment Themes

Documents Analyzed

Report based on filing metadata.

US Market Status