Cisco's Trading Volume Plunges 20.34 to Rank 83rd as Shares Climb 0.52 Despite Mixed Analyst Outlooks

On August 20, 2025, Cisco Systems (CSCO) rose 0.52% with a trading volume of $1.00 billion, marking a 20.34% decline from the prior day’s volume. The stock ranked 83rd in trading activity for the session.

Institutional investors have shown renewed interest in Cisco, with Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increasing its stake by 17.6% in the first quarter, now holding 165,887 shares valued at $10.24 million. Other firms, including JDM Financial Group LLC and Fairway Wealth LLC, also significantly boosted their positions, reflecting growing institutional confidence in the network equipment provider.

Analyst activity has been mixed. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Cisco from “strong-buy” to “hold,” while Wells Fargo & Company raised its price target to $83.00, and Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating with a $71.00 target. CICC Research initiated coverage with an “outperform” rating and a $78.00 target. The stock currently carries an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.53.

Cisco’s recent earnings report highlighted resilience, with Q2 EPS of $0.99 exceeding estimates by $0.01 and revenue growing 7.6% year-over-year to $14.67 billion. The company also announced a $0.41 quarterly dividend, yielding 2.5% annually, signaling continued focus on shareholder returns. However, insider sales by executives like Deborah Stahlkopf and Jeetendra Patel, totaling 77,731 shares in the past three months, may temper short-term optimism.

The strategy of buying the top 500 stocks by daily trading volume and holding them for one day resulted in a total profit of $2,940 from December 2021 to August 2025. The approach experienced a maximum drawdown of -$1,960, with a Sharpe ratio of 1.53 indicating favorable risk-adjusted returns. December 2021 was the best month (+$840), while August 2025 recorded the worst performance (-$640).