New York, Feb 2, 2026, 13:06 (EST) — Regular session
- Cisco shares climbed roughly 3% by midday, hitting a fresh 52-week peak
- Investors are zeroing in on Cisco’s AI Summit set for Feb. 3, with earnings due Feb. 11
- Attention centers on AI-fueled networking demand alongside the firm’s security initiatives
Cisco Systems (CSCO.O) shares jumped 3.4% to $81.00 in midday trading on Monday, hitting a new 52-week peak. The stock swung between $77.64 and $81.14.
Cisco’s stock climbed past its previous 52-week high of around $80.82, according to Nasdaq figures. This surge comes just before two key events: the company’s AI Summit on Tuesday and its quarterly earnings report next week, both of which investors will watch closely for clear signs of AI-driven demand. (Nasdaq)
U.S. stocks edged higher, the S&P 500 gaining roughly 0.6%, while the Nasdaq climbed around 0.9%. Demand has been patchy recently, as investors juggle upbeat tech earnings against renewed skepticism over hefty AI spending.
Cisco announced its AI Summit will take place Tuesday, hosted by CEO Chuck Robbins and President Jeetu Patel. Executives from Nvidia, OpenAI, AWS, and Intel are also lined up to speak, the company said. The event starts at 9 a.m. PT and will be livestreamed. (Cisco Investor Relations)
Cisco is set to release its earnings on Feb. 11 after the market closes, per Yahoo Finance. Investors will be keen to see any progress on orders linked to AI data centers and whether the security segment lives up to more than just “promising” claims made in presentations. (Yahoo Finance)
In November, Cisco upgraded its fiscal 2026 outlook, highlighting AI-fueled demand for networking equipment. Robbins told analysts the company anticipated $3 billion in AI infrastructure revenue from hyperscalers — major cloud providers — in fiscal 2026, adding that the pipeline for high-performance networking products topped $2 billion. (Reuters)
Zeus Kerravala, principal analyst at ZK Research, pointed out that “agentic AI” — software capable of taking actions rather than just answering questions — might generate substantially more network traffic than basic chatbots. In the same article, Brian Ortbals, an executive at World Wide Technology, noted that Cisco “listened, engaged deeply with partners like WWT” while overhauling its partner program. (Network World)
Cisco’s move sparked varied responses among other infrastructure stocks. Dell climbed roughly 3.3%, Hewlett Packard Enterprise gained around 2.2%, but Arista Networks dipped about 0.8%.
But with stocks hitting fresh highs, there’s little margin for error. Investors have pounced on any signs of hesitation in AI spending, especially after weekend reports stirred uncertainty over the Nvidia-OpenAI investment plan. (Investopedia)
Tuesday brings the AI Summit, then Cisco’s earnings and guidance drop on Feb. 11. Macro analysts have their eyes on the U.S. jobs report due Feb. 6, a key indicator of whether the economy is slowing without breaking down. (The Economic Times)
