Cisco Looks to Show Revenue Growth Wasn't a Blip -- Earnings Preview
16 May 2018 - 7:59PM
Dow Jones News
By Jay Greene
Cisco Systems Inc. is scheduled to report fiscal third-quarter
results after the market closes Wednesday. Here's what to
watch.
EARNINGS FORECAST: Cisco is expected to report adjusted
per-share earnings of 65 cents, according to an S&P Global
Market Intelligence survey of analysts. That would be up from
adjusted earnings of 60 cents a share a year earlier.
REVENUE FORECAST: Analysts expect Cisco to post revenue of
$12.44 billion, up 4% from a year ago.
WHAT TO WATCH:
-- SUSTAINED GROWTH: Three months ago, Cisco reported revenue
growth for the first time in two years and forecast growth for the
just-ended quarter of between 3% and 5%. Since then, the
networking-gear maker's stock has gained 9%. Deutsche Bank
Securities Inc. analyst Vijay Bhagavath believes Cisco will edge
past expectations and report $12.54 billion in sales, a bit more
than 5% better than the year-ago figure. Mr. Bhagavath is counting
on strong sales of network switches, growing software subscriptions
and gains in optical networking-gear sales.
-- SECURITY BUNDLE: Cisco has beefed up its security portfolio
in recent years, developing software services in-house and
acquiring companies such as Observable Networks Inc. and CloudLock
Inc. The company appears to have had success selling that
technology along with its hardware, Morgan Stanley & Co.
analyst James Faucette wrote in a recent research report. "We
continue to hear anecdotal evidence of the pull-through effect
between networking and security spend, instilled by Cisco's
continued efforts to bundle larger solution sales," he wrote. About
a quarter of currently deployed Cisco gear is too old for the
company's security offerings, something that should boost hardware
sales as well, according to Mr. Faucette.
-- CASH READY: As a legacy tech vendor, Cisco lacks the flash of
startups with rapid growth potential. But the company's balance
sheet is tough to beat. Last quarter, the company announced plans
to repatriate $67 billion it held overseas, a result of the new
U.S. tax law. Cisco said it would spend about $44 billion over the
next two years on share buybacks and dividends. Even with that
spending, Cisco likely will continue to look for opportunities to
buy companies, said J.P. Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee. In a
recent research report, he suggested Cisco could continue to build
out its security offerings through acquisitions.
Write to Jay Greene at Jay.Greene@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 16, 2018 05:44 ET (09:44 GMT)
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