Cisco +2.3%; Street shrugs off guidance, focuses on execution
- "In the context of the considerable headwinds Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) currently faces, the results this quarter were quite solid," writes BMO (Outperform) following Cisco's FQ1 report. With soft carrier (orders -10% Y/Y) and emerging markets (BRIC/Mexico orders -12%) demand already telegraphed by Cisco and peers, investors are giving the company a pass for its light FQ2 guidance.
- RBC (Outperform): "Strong GM improvements and the rebound in switching point to encouraging trends for Cisco, which is also squeezing out added workforce productivity." Atlantic Equities (Overweight): "At 11x PE 2015E and 8x EV/FCF, Cisco’s valuation appears undemanding among other large cap tech stocks, especially given its 7% earnings CAGR 2014-17E."
- Bears remain worried about sales growth and the long-term impact of SDN. Citi (Sell): "We continue to believe Cisco remains a flat to low-single-digit grower with little upside to op margin. We therefore believe the current 12x P/E more than compensates for the 3% dividend, yet slowing buyback.”
- JPMorgan (Underweight): "We continue to believe current switching industry ASPs and margins are unsustainable due to structural technology shifts." For its part, Cisco disclosed its ACI/APIC SDN/networking virtualization solution saw its paid customer count more than double in its first full quarter of shipments. VMware is seeing growing demand for its rival NSX platform.
- FQ1 product performance: Switching +3% Y/Y to $3.85B (strong data center switch sales); routing -4% to $1.95B (carrier weakness); collaboration -10% to $949M (telepresence weakness); service provider video -12% to $871M (set-top weakness); data center +15% to $693M (server share gains); wireless +11% to $605M (strong Meraki sales); security +25% to $455M (boosted by the SourceFire acquisition).
- Prior Cisco earnings coverage
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