CiscoCSCOCOMMENTAug 17, 2016Stock 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.
Technology is an area that is attractive. This, like many technology companies is trading at a discount to its long-term average PE multiple. There are reports of potential layoffs across the board. Like many others in the technology space, they are making a transition from a hard over time. An interesting one to look at. ware based business to a software business, which is generally going to be higher margin with more recurring revenue. This has been trading at a relatively low PE multiple, and if they are able to make that transition successfully, he expects you could see a PE multiple expansion.