New York, March 4, 2026, 14:22 EST — Regular session
- Cisco climbed in afternoon trade, with investors zeroing in on its security offerings and AI networking drive.
- The company pointed to a fresh Splunk rollout at Australia’s TPG Telecom.
- Management is set to speak at a Morgan Stanley tech conference this Thursday, drawing attention from traders.
Cisco Systems stock gained 2.1% to $80.64 Wednesday afternoon, rebounding from an earlier dip to $78.55. Shares opened at $79.18 and recently hovered close to the day’s high. Roughly 9.1 million shares had traded hands.
After Cisco’s announcement, shares moved as TPG Telecom picked Splunk software to revamp security and service operations on its Australian networks, both mobile and fixed. The effort leans heavily on “AIOps,” meaning AI-driven IT operations that catch problems early and automate responses. “We work with organisations to build digital resilience across their operations,” said Marc Caltabiano of Splunk. 1
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Cisco is pushing hard to stay visible with both operators and investors, zeroing in on AI-driven workloads and the ongoing push for network security. “AI represents a massive opportunity for service providers,” said Jeetu Patel, Cisco’s president and chief product officer, in a post linked to the event. 2
Cisco, meanwhile, is emphasizing that a wave of AI adoption is driving industrial players to overhaul their networks—downtime and hacks here come at a steep cost. In its 2026 State of Industrial AI report, the company said it polled over 1,000 professionals across 19 countries; 85% expect AI deployments will boost cybersecurity. “Our deep expertise in both IT and OT has positioned us to help organizations harness AI,” Cisco senior vice president Vikas Butaney said. (OT stands for operational technology, covering systems that power factories and real-world operations.) 3
Cisco shares climbed, joining a rally across big tech. The Invesco QQQ, which tracks the Nasdaq, added roughly 1.8%.
Networking and security stocks caught a bid as well. Arista Networks tacked on nearly 7%. Palo Alto Networks added around 2.4%.
Cisco is working to convince investors it can maintain stable growth as spending shifts among hardware, software, and services. The company bumped up its annual revenue outlook to a range of $61.2 billion to $61.7 billion in its Feb. 11 quarterly update, after posting $15.35 billion in revenue for the quarter ended Jan. 24—topping analyst forecasts. Gross margin, however, landed short of expectations. 4
That can turn around fast. Telecom and enterprise clients might put off major upgrades, while heavy discounting in switches, routers, or cybersecurity can pinch margins if vendors push too aggressively to keep their market share.
Cisco is in the spotlight Thursday, with CFO Mark Patterson and executive Martin Lund set to take the stage at Morgan Stanley’s TMT Conference. Their fireside chat kicks off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific (1:00 p.m. New York), streaming live online. 5
