Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) finished Tuesday’s session (December 23, 2025) essentially flat and is showing little change in after-hours trading—a calm close that stands out against a broader market that pushed to fresh highs.
By the end of regular trading, Cisco shares closed at $78.02, down about 0.12% on the day, with an intraday range of roughly $77.59–$78.12. [1] After the bell, the stock continued to trade around $78.02 as of the latest update (23:38 UTC / 6:38 p.m. ET).
With U.S. markets set for a shortened Christmas Eve session on Wednesday (Dec. 24), the key question for investors is less about tonight’s after-hours tape—and more about liquidity, headlines, and catalysts that can matter more than usual in a thin market.
CSCO after the bell: what the stock did today (Dec. 23)
Cisco’s trading day was muted:
- Close: $78.02 (down ~0.12%) [2]
- Day range: about $77.59 low to $78.12 high [3]
- After hours: hovering around $78.02 at last check
A useful way to read this: CSCO didn’t participate meaningfully in the day’s risk-on surge, but it also didn’t break down—consistent with a stock that’s been near its recent highs and may be consolidating into year-end.
The bigger tape today: markets were upbeat, volumes light ahead of Christmas
Cisco’s quiet finish came as U.S. equities pushed higher on Tuesday, supported by upbeat economic data and shifting expectations around 2026 rate cuts. Reuters noted trading volumes were light ahead of the holiday, a backdrop that can amplify moves in individual names if a headline hits. [4]
In short: macro sentiment was supportive, but for a mega-cap, “steady” name like Cisco, the market’s attention was spread across big tech and AI leaders—leaving CSCO in a more “wait-and-see” posture.
Today’s Cisco-focused reads and analysis: valuation takes center stage
While there wasn’t a single dominant, market-moving Cisco headline dated today, fresh analysis published on Dec. 23 leaned heavily into valuation and forward expectations.
A valuation check published today puts “fair value” just above the current price
A Simply Wall St analysis dated December 23, 2025 framed Cisco as “about right” on valuation:
- It estimated an intrinsic value around $82.02/share using a discounted cash flow approach, implying Cisco was trading at roughly a mid-single-digit discount to that estimate at the time of publication. [5]
- It also cited a P/E around 29.9x and compared it to a computed “Fair Ratio” near 30.3x, suggesting the stock price is broadly aligned with its earnings profile. [6]
- The same piece highlighted strong trailing performance—up 32.2% year to date and 35.9% over one year (per its dataset and methodology). [7]
Investors don’t need to agree with every assumption in that model to take away the core message: after a strong 2025 run, the market appears to be pricing Cisco as a mature winner in AI-era networking—not as a deep bargain, and not as a speculative blow-off.
Ownership and “flow” items published today: incremental, not catalytic
Several MarketBeat “instant alert” items dated Dec. 23, 2025 focused on institutional position changes and reiterated Street targets/ratings (often by summarizing previously issued analyst notes). [8]
These aren’t typically catalysts by themselves, but in thin holiday trading they can still contribute to the day’s narrative: CSCO remains widely owned, broadly liked, and closely watched near highs.
The fundamental story investors keep coming back to: AI networking + security
Even on a quiet day, the two themes that continue to frame Cisco’s stock into year-end are:
- AI infrastructure demand (networks, optics, silicon, and data-center buildouts)
- Security (where Cisco’s brand and installed base can be a tailwind—but where vulnerabilities and incident response can become a short-term headline risk)
AI-driven outlook: Cisco’s raised FY2026 targets still anchor the bull case
Cisco’s latest major guidance reset came in November, when the company raised its FY2026 outlook, pointing to AI-driven demand trends. Reuters reported Cisco expected fiscal 2026 revenue of $60.2B–$61.0B and adjusted EPS of $4.08–$4.14 (up from prior ranges). [9]
That’s why many “buy-side” conversations still revolve around whether Cisco can keep converting AI-era demand into sustained orders across switching, routing, optical, and security—without ceding too much share to faster-growing specialists.
The headline risk that matters into tomorrow: a critical Cisco email security campaign (CVE-2025-20393)
If you’re looking for the Cisco-specific issue most likely to generate fresh headlines around the Dec. 24 session, it’s cybersecurity.
Cisco published a security advisory (updated Dec. 17, 2025) describing a campaign targeting a subset of Cisco Secure Email Gateway and Secure Email and Web Manager appliances running AsyncOS—warning that threat actors could execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on affected systems. [10]
Key points from Cisco’s advisory:
- Cisco said it became aware of the campaign on Dec. 10 and described evidence of a persistence mechanism used to maintain access. [11]
- Affected scenarios involve appliances where Spam Quarantine is enabled and exposed/reachable from the internet (not enabled by default). [12]
- Cisco stated there were no direct workarounds to mitigate the risk of the campaign, and that in confirmed compromise scenarios, rebuilding appliances was the only viable option to eradicate the persistence mechanism at the time of the advisory. [13]
Independent coverage in recent days has emphasized the same campaign, describing active exploitation and the operational burden for defenders. [14]
Why this matters specifically for tomorrow (Dec. 24): multiple security advisories and reporting have pointed to Dec. 24, 2025 as a key federal remediation date associated with CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities process—meaning the story can re-enter headlines if there are updates, patching guidance changes, or follow-on reporting. [15]
Stock impact note: cyber headlines don’t always move CSCO on a given day, but in a thin session, even modest sentiment changes can have an outsized effect—especially if the market perceives risk to customer trust, remediation costs, or renewals.
Analyst forecast snapshot heading into the Dec. 24 session
The Street’s baseline stance on Cisco remains constructive:
- MarketBeat’s consensus shows an average 12‑month price target around $84.55, with a high near $100 and a low near $63, and a consensus leaning “Moderate Buy.” [16]
That target range matters for tomorrow mainly because it frames how investors react to news:
- If Cisco trades near $78 with consensus targets in the mid‑$80s, the market is implicitly saying: “We like the story, but we’re not paying any price.”
A practical catalyst many investors track: the next dividend window
Cisco’s next quarterly dividend cycle is also on the radar into year-end:
- Several dividend trackers list a next ex-dividend date around Jan. 2, 2026, with a quarterly payout of $0.41 and payment later in January. [17]
This isn’t a “tomorrow morning” catalyst, but it can influence positioning and support the stock during choppy periods—especially for income-focused holders.
What to know before the market opens tomorrow (Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025)
Wednesday is not a normal session. It’s a holiday-shortened day, and that changes how traders should interpret moves in CSCO.
1) The U.S. stock market closes early on Christmas Eve
Official exchange schedules show:
- Nasdaq: early close at 1:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 24, 2025, closed Dec. 25 [18]
- NYSE: early close at 1:00 p.m. ET (with eligible options closing at 1:15 p.m. ET) on Dec. 24, 2025 [19]
MarketWatch also summarized the holiday schedule, including the early close and the Dec. 25 closure. [20]
Why it matters for CSCO: early-close sessions tend to bring lighter liquidity and sometimes wider spreads, especially after mid-morning. That can exaggerate intraday swings—or make a flat day look “deceptively calm.”
2) Bond market timing can matter for tech sentiment
SIFMA’s recommended schedule calls for an early close for U.S. fixed income markets at 2:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 24 and a full close on Dec. 25. [21]
Because Cisco trades partly on macro narratives (rates, capex cycles, enterprise spending), moves in yields early Wednesday can still influence risk appetite—despite the holiday vibe.
3) Scheduled U.S. data: initial jobless claims
Investopedia’s week-ahead calendar highlights initial jobless claims due Wednesday morning (Dec. 24), alongside the early market close. [22]
MarketWatch’s economic calendar similarly lists jobless claims at 8:30 a.m. ET. [23]
In a thin session, a surprise in a key datapoint can spill into index futures and large-cap tech—Cisco included—even if the company itself is quiet.
A “before the bell” checklist for Cisco stock watchers
Here are the practical things to monitor between now and Wednesday’s open:
- Pre-market price action and spreads: In a shortened session week, early prints can be noisy; focus on whether CSCO holds above key recent support levels from the past few sessions. [24]
- Security headlines: Watch for updates tied to CVE-2025-20393—especially any changes to mitigation guidance, patch availability, or broader reporting around affected environments. [25]
- Where CSCO sits versus its recent peak: Recent analysis noted Cisco’s 52-week high near $80.82 (hit earlier in December). If the market turns risk-on early Wednesday, that level is a natural “reference point” traders watch. [26]
- Analyst expectation framing: Consensus targets clustered in the mid‑$80s can act like a “sentiment anchor”—helpful if the tape gets choppy. [27]
- Holiday session mechanics: Expect less depth and potentially bigger intraday moves than you’d normally associate with a mega-cap “steady” tech name. [28]
Bottom line: calm after-hours, but tomorrow’s session is about structure and headlines
Cisco stock ended Dec. 23 near $78 and stayed close to that level after the bell, reflecting a market that’s not rushing to reprice the name overnight. [29] But the setup for Dec. 24 is unusual: early close, thin liquidity, a key cybersecurity narrative still developing, and a single scheduled macro release that can move index sentiment. [30]
In other words, if CSCO moves on Wednesday, it may say as much about holiday market microstructure and headline flow as it does about Cisco’s long-term fundamentals.
References
1. stockanalysis.com, 2. stockanalysis.com, 3. stockanalysis.com, 4. www.reuters.com, 5. simplywall.st, 6. simplywall.st, 7. simplywall.st, 8. www.marketbeat.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. www.cisco.com, 11. www.cisco.com, 12. www.cisco.com, 13. www.cisco.com, 14. www.techradar.com, 15. www.esentire.com, 16. www.marketbeat.com, 17. www.dividend.com, 18. www.nasdaq.com, 19. www.nyse.com, 20. www.marketwatch.com, 21. www.sifma.org, 22. www.investopedia.com, 23. www.marketwatch.com, 24. stockanalysis.com, 25. www.cisco.com, 26. www.nasdaq.com, 27. www.marketbeat.com, 28. www.reuters.com, 29. stockanalysis.com, 30. www.nasdaq.com
