CiscoCSCOBUYNov 25, 2014Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Sep 04, 2026. Market Open.
Like Apple it was sort of a sleeper last year. It sells processes and analogue chips, very different than GPU's. Is involved in networking products and services. The AI stack explosion needed their products and technology. It is fully priced according to analysts' price targets.
Kudos on that choice, because it's not been a market darling (since the dot-com bubble). Riding coattails of stronger players in the space, catching the halo effect. The old adage: "No one ever went broke taking a profit" -- good risk management.
Prefers, and owns, ANET.
Part of IT infrastructure, but $27B acquisition of Splunk really helped drive security business. Finally hit a new high (previous high was March 27, 2000). Phenomenal allocator of capital. Compelling buy. Every year, buys back stock and raises dividend.
Finally growing revenues again, he's looking for mid-high single-digit revenue growth. AI will bring a much higher recurring revenue stream. Its solutions are so embedded in businesses, he's not worried about clients trying to go it alone with AI.
Corporations are full of cash and don’t need to build capacity, but are looking for productivity. One place where they are spending is technology. Technology is expanding very steadily and is one of the best performing groups in the market. This company is not a high growth company like it once was. Have a very strong balance sheet with very steady cash flow growth, buying back shares and increasing their dividend. Expects technology will have a pretty strong market heading into year-end. This would not be his #1 choice. He would prefer Microsoft (MSFT-Q) or Intel (INTC-Q), but you won’t get hurt here. (See Top Picks.)