Are Analysts Underestimating Cisco Systems (CSCO)?

Cisco Systems may be undervalued with strong growth indicators, but the 20 analysts following the company give it an rating of hold. Their target prices range from $46.0 to $76.0 per share, for an average of $54.79. At today's price of $47.29, Cisco Systems is trading -13.69% away from its average target price, suggesting there is an analyst consensus of some upside potential for the stock.

Cisco Systems, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells Internet Protocol based networking and other products related to the communications and information technology industry in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, Japan, and China. Based in San Jose, CA, the Large-Cap Telecommunications company has 84,900 full time employees. Cisco Systems has provided a 3.4% dividend yield over the last 12 months.

Cisco Systems has a trailing twelve month P/E ratio of 16.0, compared to an average of 22.69 for the Telecommunications sector. Considering its EPS guidance of $3.55, the company has a forward P/E ratio of 13.3.

Cisco Systems is overpriced compared to its book value, since its P/B ratio of 4.17 is higher than the sector average of 1.97. The company's shares are currently 71.1% below their Graham number, indicating that its shares have a margin of safety.

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Revenue (M) $49,330 $51,904 $49,301 $49,818 $51,557 $56,998
Gross Margins 62% 63% 64% 64% 63% 63%
Net Margins 0% 22% 23% 21% 23% 22%
Net Income (M) $110 $11,621 $11,214 $10,591 $11,812 $12,613
Net Interest Expense (M) $943 $859 $585 $434 $360 $427
Depreciation & Amort. (M) $221 $150 $141 $215 $313 $282
Diluted Shares (M) 4,614 4,273 4,244 4,243 4,116 4,087
Earnings Per Share $0.02 $2.61 $2.64 $2.5 $2.82 $3.07
EPS Growth n/a 12950.0% 1.15% -5.3% 12.8% 8.87%
Avg. Price $37.88 $44.56 $39.15 $49.99 $49.6 $47.29
P/E Ratio 1894.0 16.94 14.77 19.92 17.53 15.35
Free Cash Flow (M) $12,832 $14,922 $14,656 $14,762 $12,749 $19,037
CAPEX (M) $834 $909 $770 $692 $477 $849
EV / EBITDA 15.77 14.13 12.53 16.5 14.47 12.46
Total Debt (M) $32,805 $22,497 $17,571 $12,010 $10,127 $8,640
Net Debt / EBITDA 1.95 0.97 0.49 0.34 0.2 -0.06
Current Ratio 2.11 1.7 1.59 1.62 1.45 1.47
The above analysis is intended for educational purposes only and was performed on the basis of publicly available data. It is not to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any buy, sell, or other recommendations mentioned in the article are direct quotations of consensus recommendations from the analysts covering the stock, and do not represent the opinions of Market Inference or its writers. Past performance, accounting data, and inferences about market position and corporate valuation are not reliable indicators of future price movements. Market Inference does not provide financial advice. Investors should conduct their own review and analysis of any company of interest before making an investment decision.

IN FOCUS