Bright outlook for Cisco

Article Excerpt

CISCO SYSTEMS INC. $56 is a buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol CSCO; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 4.2 billion; Market cap: $235.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.7; Dividend yield 2.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.cisco.com) expects its revenue for its next four fiscal years (which end July 31) to rise between 5% and 7% annually. A big part of that growth will come from its security software as more employees work from home, even as the COVID-19 pandemic eases. In fiscal 2021, software and services accounted for 53% of Cisco’s total revenue. As well, subscriptions accounted for 79% of Cisco’s software revenue. Those steady revenue streams cut its risk. The company should also see stronger demand for its routers and other hardware products due to the rollout of ultrafast 5G wireless networks and new cloud computing services. The stock trades at a moderate 16.3 times the $3.43 a share that Cisco should earn in fiscal 2022. The $1.48 dividend yields 2.6%. Cisco…