The market shut its doors at 13:01 Eastern, February 22, 2026, in New York.
Cisco Systems, Inc. wrapped up Friday at $79.20, up 0.8%. The stock touched $79.33 at its session peak before settling just below that mark to end the week.
Monday’s setup follows a positive Friday for U.S. equities, with the S&P 500 advancing 0.69% and the Nasdaq tacking on 0.90%. Investors were processing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down President Donald Trump’s tariffs. “Investors were relieved that Trump’s newly announced global tariff was not higher,” said Mike Dickson, head of research and quantitative strategies at Horizon Investments, in comments to Reuters. Nvidia’s results, a key date for the AI sector, are scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 25. Reuters
When it comes to Cisco, the immediate focus isn’t pinned to one news item. What investors are really looking for is evidence that AI expansion is actually generating solid, lasting orders — and that boosting hardware sales won’t end up squeezing profits in the process.
Friday brought a new development: Tata Consultancy Services and Cisco rolled out a Center of Excellence in Hyderabad focused on “autonomous” enterprise operations. The facility brings together Cisco’s AppDynamics, Cisco Splunk, and TCS’s own solutions. “The Center of Excellence is a testament to the strength of our longstanding partnership with TCS,” Cisco’s Tim Coogan commented in the statement. Tata Consultancy Services
Cisco’s President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel told The Economic Times the company expects to launch “at least a half-dozen” AI-built software products in 2026. He detailed a move toward “spec-driven development,” with engineers drafting specs and AI handling the coding. Patel noted, “we are still short on compute,” and said he sees demand—not short-term swings—driving the AI cycle, though he did admit to seeing “signs of market froth.” The Economic Times
Cisco’s executive vice president of operations, Thimaya K. Subaiya, unloaded 10,233 shares on Feb. 19, according to a regulatory filing. The stock moved at weighted-average prices of roughly $78.50 and $79.05. The transactions came under a Rule 10b5-1 plan Subaiya set up in March 2025. Such plans let insiders schedule trades ahead of time.
Preset insider stock sales happen frequently among large-cap tech companies, and they aren’t always a signal on the fundamentals. Even so, traders pay attention—especially when a stock’s searching for stability after a bumpy stretch in the AI sector.
Cisco’s February numbers—and what’s coming next—still dominate the story. The company bumped up its 2026 revenue guidance, now projecting $61.2 billion to $61.7 billion, according to Reuters. CEO Chuck Robbins told investors Cisco anticipates AI orders topping $5 billion for fiscal 2026.
The race to supply AI data center infrastructure remains fierce, leaving pricing power up in the air. Cisco rolled out its Silicon One G300 switch chip and a new router for hyperscale centers earlier this month, jumping into an arena already crowded by Nvidia and Broadcom. The chip is slated to hit the market in the year’s second half, the company told Reuters.
Investors have their eyes on demand trends in telecom and enterprise networking this week, with Cisco set for Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from March 2 to 5. Later in the month, both Cisco and Splunk will be at the security-focused RSAC conference in San Francisco, March 23-26.
