Cisco Earnings Due Thursday: Here’s What Investors Need to Know

Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) shares are in the spotlight Thursday ahead of earnings due today after the close, with AI infrastructure orders, gross margins, the fiscal 2027 outlook, a technical setup showing a pullback near the 200-day average and Edge Rankings in focus.

• Cisco shares are consolidating. What should traders watch with CSCO?

Earnings Preview & History

Cisco is scheduled to report fiscal first-quarter earnings on Thursday, Nov. 12, after the market closes. Analysts estimate earnings per share of $1.32 along with revenue of $18.12 billion.

For the prior quarter, Cisco reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.22, beating the consensus estimate of $1.17. The company also posted record revenue of $17.25 billion, up 18% from a year earlier, beating the consensus estimate of $16.82 billion.

Cisco guided for first-quarter revenue of $18.0 billion to $18.2 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $1.32 to $1.34.

What to Watch: AI Orders, Margins and FY27 Outlook

Investors will be closely tracking AI infrastructure orders, after Cisco took $4 billion of hyperscaler orders in the fourth quarter, bringing fiscal 2026 to $9.3 billion, about 4.5 times the prior year, and guided to $7.5 billion of AI infrastructure revenue in fiscal 2027.

Gross margin will also be in focus. Cisco guided to a non-GAAP gross margin of 65% to 66% for the first quarter, down from 66.3% in the fourth quarter, as the mix shifts toward AI networking hardware, and margin concerns sent shares down about 4% after hours following the last report.

The fiscal 2027 outlook will matter most, with Cisco guiding to revenue of $72.2 billion to $73.4 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $5.05 to $5.11, so any change to that range would be watched. Security and product order growth will draw attention too, after total product orders rose 35% from a year earlier in the fourth quarter.

Cisco Trades 7.4% Below 50-Day Average, 1.9% Below 200-Day, With MACD Showing Fading Momentum

Cisco is trading 4.1% below its 20-day SMA ($104.47) and 7.4% below its 50-day SMA ($108.16), which keeps the near-term trend pointed down and makes rebounds more likely to run into supply. At the same time, it’s only 1.9% below its 200-day SMA ($102.15), so the stock is still close enough to a long-term trend line that bulls may try to defend.

MACD is the cleaner momentum read right now: it’s below its signal line and the histogram is negative, which suggests upside pressure is fading versus the prior upswing unless momentum can rebuild. Simply put, when MACD sits under its signal line, it often means rallies are losing steam and pullbacks can persist.

The moving-average structure is mixed: the 20-day SMA is below the 50-day SMA (bearish), but the 50-day SMA remains above the 200-day SMA (a longer-term bullish backdrop that hasn’t fully broken). On the longer view, the stock is still up 36.24% over the past 12 months, but the more recent damage includes a break below support in February after a prior breakout attempt in October.

• Key Resistance: $112.50 — a nearby ceiling that lines up with a round-number pivot zone and sits above the 50-day area, where rebounds can stall
• Key Support: $86.00 — a prior buyer-defense zone that sits well above the $71.09 52-week low, making it a key "line in the sand" if weakness extends

Benzinga Edge Rankings

Below is the Benzinga Edge scorecard for Cisco, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses compared to the broader market:

• Momentum: Neutral (Score: 64.99) — The stock’s longer-term run remains constructive, but near-term trend signals are still stabilizing.
• Quality: Strong (Score: 82.51) — The scorecard flags solid underlying business quality versus the broader market.
• Value: Weak (Score: 16.52) — The valuation profile screens expensive versus peers, which can limit upside if growth expectations cool.
• Growth: Neutral (Score: 34.67) — Growth factors are middling, so the stock may need execution and guidance to re-accelerate sentiment.

The Verdict: Cisco’s Benzinga Edge signal reveals a quality-led profile with moderate momentum but weak value support. For longer-term bulls, that often means the setup works best when the chart is reclaiming key moving averages—otherwise, premium valuation can make pullbacks feel sharper.

Cisco Shares Trade Flat

CSCO Price Action: At the time of publication, Cisco shares are trading 0.14% lower at $100.62, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

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