Cisco is prepared for more COVID tumult

Article Excerpt

COVID-19 has prompted many businesses to slow new purchases of networking equipment. However, Cisco is in strong position to profit as the economy recovers. Moreover, as the clear leader in its industry, many businesses will likely turn to Cisco for reliable systems to handle the surge in data traffic from online orders and employees working from home. Meantime, The company continues to reward investors with share buybacks and annual dividend hikes. CISCO SYSTEMS INC. $38 is a buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol CSCO; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 4.2 billion; Market cap: $159.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.3; Dividend yield 3.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.cisco.com) makes hardware and software to link and manage computer networks. To cut its reliance on cyclical demand for its hardware products, Cisco is expanding into software with programs such as WebEx (video conferencing) and AppDynamics (network monitoring). It sells these products as long-term subscriptions, which gives its steadier revenue streams. As part of that strategy, the company paid $2.35…