New York, February 23, 2026, 17:54 ET — Trading after the bell
- Cisco (CSCO) ended the session off $1.46, down 1.8%. Shares barely budged in after-hours trading.
- U.S. stocks lost ground as a tariff shock combined with renewed worries about AI-driven upheaval sent investors fleeing risk.
- Cisco flagged a fresh “Secure AI Factory” project in Australia, teaming up with Sharon AI and Nvidia.
Cisco Systems stock slipped in late trading Monday, ticking down to $77.73 after hours, according to MarketWatch data. Earlier, the networking equipment giant ended the regular session off $1.46, or 1.8%, at $77.74.
Stocks slid alongside a broader pullback from risk across Wall Street, with traders digesting new questions over U.S. trade policy and ramped-up concerns about which firms might stumble as AI technology evolves. “Sell first, assess later,” said Tom Hainlin, national investment strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management. Reuters
Cisco flagged fresh AI infrastructure efforts out of Australia. Together with SharonAI Holdings, the company rolled out what they’re calling Australia’s first “Cisco Secure AI Factory”— built with Nvidia — promising to keep both data and AI processing onshore. That’s aimed squarely at organizations nervous about sensitive data crossing borders. Cisco
The companies outlined a setup featuring Cisco UCS servers, Nexus Hyperfabric, and 1,024 Nvidia Blackwell Ultra GPUs. Stefan Leitl at Cisco described the expansion as “critical infrastructure,” aiming to help organizations roll out AI “safely and securely.”
Cisco snapped a three-day run on Monday, slipping but holding up stronger than several other big tech stocks as the main U.S. indexes slid more than 1%. Volume climbed to roughly 24.5 million shares, topping its 50-day average. The stock sits about 12% under its Feb. 10 52-week peak of $88.19, MarketWatch reported.
This month, Cisco’s most recent results have kept investors on edge over profit trends. While the company raised its outlook for annual revenue, gross margin landed short of expectations, according to Reuters.
This is important for Cisco, given its hefty hardware business. When input costs climb or pricing gets soft, margins can take a hit—often showing up in the share price right away.
But there’s more at stake than just individual companies in the near term. Any ramp-up in tariff rhetoric threatens to rattle hardware supply chains and prompt companies to rethink spending—potentially overshadowing deal headlines that would typically boost the stock.
Rates and macro numbers are once again taking center stage. Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller flagged the February jobs report—out March 6—as pivotal ahead of the Fed’s March 17–18 policy gathering.
The AI infrastructure crowd won’t have to wait long for a fresh read: Nvidia is set to release its fourth-quarter numbers on Wednesday, February 25. The company’s webcast has a reputation for shaping spending outlooks across the sector — and that impact often extends into data-center networking, where Cisco continues to push for relevance in the mix.
