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Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) builds networking equipment, cybersecurity tools, and enterprise software that power much of the world’s internet and corporate infrastructure. The company is one of the most established names in enterprise technology, recently trading around $68/share with a market value of roughly $274 billion. Over the past year, its stock has climbed 37%, supported by steady enterprise IT demand and growing interest in AI-driven infrastructure.
While Cisco’s legacy is tied to switches and routers that powered the backbone of the internet, today the company is focused on recurring software subscriptions, hybrid cloud solutions, and security offerings that may provide more stable long-term growth. This shift has made the company a mainstay in global portfolios, particularly for passive index funds, while also attracting selective bets from active managers who see upside in Cisco’s transformation.
Institutional ownership plays an important role here. Shares are heavily concentrated among the world’s largest asset managers, which gives Cisco stability but also shows the market views it more as a dependable cash flow story than a high-growth one. Insider activity, meanwhile, gives a glimpse of how leadership may be handling their own exposure at current prices.
Looking at Cisco’s top shareholders and insider trades helps show how the big investors are lining up behind the stock today.
Who Are Cisco’s Top Shareholders?
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Cisco’s largest shareholders are the big three index managers, with active managers taking a more mixed approach.
- Vanguard Group: 392.2M shares (9.9%), ~$27.1B. Added 5.0M (+1.3%).
- BlackRock: 218.7M shares (5.5%), ~$15.1B. Cut 4.0M (-1.8%).
- State Street: 194.7M shares (4.9%), ~$13.5B. Added 1.1M (+0.6%).
- Geode Capital: 99.3M shares (2.5%), ~$6.9B. Added 1.2M (+1.2%).
- Invesco QQQ Trust: 81.3M shares (2.1%), ~$5.6B. Trimmed 474K (-0.6%).
Vanguard and State Street appear to be adding, which points to steady index-linked support. BlackRock cutting back shows not all big funds share the same level of confidence. For investors, this mix suggests Cisco is viewed as a reliable holding but not necessarily a strong growth bet.
Hedge funds also made some bold moves last quarter:
- Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater Associates lifted its Cisco stake by more than 644%, now holding about $130 million.
- Dmitry Balyasny’s firm boosted its position by over 635% to roughly $56 million, signaling stronger conviction in Cisco’s IT and AI exposure.
- Steven Cohen’s Point72 increased its holding by 117% to about $330 million, making it one of the larger hedge fund positions in Cisco.
- Israel Englander’s Millennium Management grew its stake by more than 110%, now worth around $180 million, showing broader hedge fund interest in Cisco at these levels.
This wave of hedge fund buying suggests that some of the more active players see Cisco as an attractive way to play enterprise technology demand.
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Cisco’s Recent Insider Trades
Insider activity can often give investors a sense of how management views the company’s valuation. At Cisco, recent transactions have leaned toward selling, with several executives trimming relatively small portions of their holdings.
These moves appear modest in scale compared to their overall stakes and may reflect stock grants or diversification rather than strong signals about the company’s direction.
Here are some recent insider sales:
- Maria Victoria Wong (Officer): Sold ~3.2K shares at ~$67.
- Thimaya Subaiya (Officer): Sold ~7.5K shares at ~$67.
- Mark Patterson (Officer): Sold ~7.2K shares at ~$67.
- Charles Robbins (CEO): Sold ~30.6K shares at ~$66–68.
- Deborah Stahlkopf (Officer): Sold ~9.8K shares at ~$66–68.
The sales look modest and may be linked to compensation plans. With no insider buying, leadership doesn’t appear eager to increase exposure at current prices.
For investors, this could suggest Cisco is seen by management as fairly priced in the near term.
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What the Ownership & Insider Trade Data Tell Us
The combination of institutional flows, hedge fund moves, and insider trades provides a balanced picture. Passive giants like Vanguard and State Street continue to anchor Cisco in global portfolios.
Hedge funds like Bridgewater, Balyasny, Point72, and Millennium added significantly, which may signal growing confidence from more active investors. Insiders, however, have leaned toward selling, which looks more like personal portfolio management than a strong bullish call.
Cisco remains a widely held blue-chip with strong index support and growing hedge fund interest. At the same time, insider caution and mixed active manager moves suggest the market sees Cisco as steady and dependable rather than deeply undervalued.
The next stage of upside may depend on how well the company proves its shift into software, cybersecurity, and AI infrastructure.
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