CiscoCSCOCOMMENTMay 05, 2017Stock 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.
In the heyday of the 2000 timeframe this was a growth stock. We have ended up with 2.5 players, with the biggest opportunity in the developed markets. China is a huge market on the back of mobile growth, but thinks QUALCOMM is winning that. The opportunities for this company are in other markets, but he doesn’t think it has legs. A very cash rich story, so it could be a dividend growth story. If looking for a reasonable attractive valuation with a dividend that can grow over time, this is one to look at.