New York, February 9, 2026, 18:56 (ET) — Activity picks up after the bell
- Cisco shares stayed higher after Monday’s close, recently up around 2.3% to $86.78.
- JPMorgan bumped its price target up to $95. The firm points to upside from AI, though it also warns about valuation risk.
- Options pricing is pointing to an outsized move tied to Wednesday’s results.
Cisco Systems (CSCO.O) climbed roughly 2.3% to $86.78 in Monday’s after-hours trading, with the stock hanging on to its session advance as investors shifted positions before the company’s quarterly results due later this week.
U.S. tech stocks snapped back after last week’s AI-driven slump, regaining traction as investors braced for new economic numbers that might steer the Federal Reserve’s next move. “You’ve a sharply oversold market where a little bit of good news can go a long way,” said Keith Lerner, chief investment officer at Truist Advisory Services. Reuters
Cisco is set to deliver its fiscal Q2 numbers on Feb. 11, sticking to its forecast of $15.0 billion to $15.2 billion in revenue and adjusted earnings between $1.01 and $1.03 a share. That non-GAAP figure leaves out items like M&A and restructuring charges. A Nasdaq-posted Zacks consensus sits at $15.12 billion in revenue and $1.02 per share. AI infrastructure, plus campus networking demand, are in the spotlight, with Cisco vying with Arista Networks, Broadcom, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
Cisco shares closed out the day at $86.78, a gain of 2.31%, and notched a new 52-week closing high—beating its previous mark of $85.00 from Feb. 6—according to MarketWatch. The stock reversed a two-day slide. About 22.9 million shares traded hands, which MarketWatch noted was some 2.9 million below Cisco’s 50-day average.
JPMorgan’s Samik Chatterjee bumped Cisco’s price target up to $95 from $90, keeping an Overweight call in his fiscal Q2 preview. Chatterjee flagged that Cisco shares are sitting at what he called a “near-term peak valuation multiple.” Still, he sees room for gains if revenue accelerates, with Cisco’s tie-up with Nvidia highlighted as a key tailwind for enterprise AI over the longer term. TipRanks
Derivatives traders are on alert. TipRanks’ options tracker has the market implying a roughly 5.97% move in either direction for the stock around earnings—well above Cisco’s typical 3% swings seen after the last four reports. Options, of course, allow investors to buy or sell shares at predetermined terms.
Cisco is set to report during a stretch when AI-related tech stocks are again facing heavy scrutiny—fresh declines have shaken up the sector. Cloudflare and Arista Networks also have earnings on deck, as flagged by Investor’s Business Daily.
Big-picture forces might weigh just as heavily as the specifics from individual companies. Retail sales figures hit Tuesday, with the postponed January jobs numbers set for Wednesday and January CPI lining up for Friday — a crowded week that could shake up both rate bets and where tech stocks land, according to Investopedia.
But things could tilt the other direction, too. Cisco shares have climbed ahead of the report; any hint of slower enterprise spending or weaker AI order flow could easily knock back a stock that’s already priced in some optimism.
All eyes now turn to Wednesday’s results—plus whatever management has to say about demand and where things might be heading. Come Friday, the CPI report could easily swing sentiment, shaping how investors approach the next move in large-cap tech and networking as the week wraps up.
