By Dave Barr
Publication Date: 2026-11-12 04:12:00
Cisco gave Wall Street a forecast far above what analysts expected, and then its stock fell anyway. Tonight’s report shows whether buyers of AI networking gear are still spending while chip stocks are being sold.
Cisco reports fiscal first-quarter results after the close on Thursday, November 12, with its call at 4:30pm ET, which is 9:30pm UK time. The results weren’t public when this was written, so what follows is the setup and not the verdict. The setup is unusual: the company set its own bar so high in August that a plain beat may not be enough.
On August 12, Cisco reported fourth-quarter revenue of $17.3 billion, up 18%, and non-GAAP earnings of $1.22 a share for the quarter ended July 25. It then guided the first quarter to $18.0 billion to $18.2 billion in revenue and $1.32 to $1.34 a share, against analyst estimates of about $16.7 billion and $1.11 at the time, according to MarketBeat. Analysts have since moved up. Zacks put consensus at $1.33 a share and $18.09…
