KYIV, UKRAINE - APRIL 06, 2019: Cisco logo on booth at CEE 2019, the largest electronics trade show of Ukraine in Tetra Pack EC. Cisco develops, manufactures and sells networking hardware and software

Cisco Stock Falls as Piper Sandler Cuts Price Target

Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) shares are trading lower Tuesday after Piper Sandler lowered its price target on the stock while maintaining a Neutral rating. Here’s what you should know.

Piper Sandler Lowers its Cisco Price Target to $125

Piper Sandler analyst James Fish kept a Neutral rating on Cisco in place while trimming the price target down to $125 from $132. Cisco carries an overall Buy rating on Wall Street, with an average price target of $133.86.

Other recent analyst actions include Deutsche Bank initiating coverage with a Buy rating and $135 target on September 1, and HSBC downgrading the stock to Hold with a $120 target on August 14.

Cisco’s Chart Shows a Pullback Within a Longer Uptrend

The bigger picture still favors the bulls here, with shares holding roughly 9% above the 200-day average near $96.55. But the nearer-term setup has gotten shakier, with the stock now sitting beneath its 20-day, 50-day and 100-day averages, which come in around $109.77, $112.79 and $113.57. Until price climbs back above those marks, any bounce attempt runs the risk of running into fresh selling.

Adding to that cautious read, the 20-day average has slipped under the 50-day, a bearish crossover that typically means the current pullback carries some real weight behind it. Still, the 50-day hasn’t given up its perch above the 200-day, which tells a different story: the broader uptrend remains intact for now, and this looks more like a routine correction than the start of a lasting reversal.

Cisco Is Underperforming a Middling Sector

Cisco’s own decline stands in contrast to a Technology sector that’s actually higher today, up 0.20% and sitting fifth out of 11 S&P groups. That leaves Cisco trailing its own sector by 5.89 percentage points, even with Technology having climbed 8.44% over the past month and 6.66% over the last quarter.

The sectors leading today skew defensive, led by Consumer Staples, Materials and Healthcare, while Financials and Communication Services bring up the rear, a pattern consistent with money flowing out of rate-sensitive and ad-driven corners of the market.

CSCO Shares Are Tumbling

CSCO Price Action: Cisco shares were down 5.55% at $105.27 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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