Cisco grows up

Article Excerpt

CISCO SYSTEMS INC. $26 (Nasdaq symbol CSCO; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 5.3 billion; Market cap: $137.8 billion; Priceto- sales ratio: 2.9; Dividend yield 2.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.cisco.com) is a leading maker of hardware and software that links and manages computer networks. The company’s hardware includes routers, local area network (LAN) and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switches, and dial-up access servers. Like IBM and Texas Instruments (see box on page 73), Cisco is a good example of a tech company that has matured into a cyclical growth stalwart. Even though its sales growth has slowed in the past few years, Cisco still dominates its field. That’s partly because it has formed long-term relationships with government agencies and other large customers. The company also continues to benefit from its 2011 restructuring plan, which included selling its money-losing consumer-products businesses and cutting jobs. Thanks to these savings and steadily rising sales, Cisco will probably earn $2.00 a..