CiscoCSCOTOP PICKMay 19, 2015Stock 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.
This is like the pipeline of the internet. You have the infrastructure as the backbone, increased wireless growth, and they got to build the routers, switches and systems for that transmission to take place. Technology is one of the better valued sectors, so you have great valuation and a super cash positioning, with a strong management team. The other side that is really positive is that you have software, (security and service) that is outpacing the traditional products growth. This will give more consistent revenue growth, margins could improve, and that improvement could ultimately come back to shareholders. Yield of 2.83%