Cisco stock sinks 5% after Piper Sandler cuts price target on growth concerns

Chuck Robbins, CEO of Cisco Systems, speaks during the 2026 Semafor World Economy conference in Washington, DC, on April 15, 2026. Kent Nishimura | Afp | Getty ImagesCisco stock dropped about 5% on Tuesday as Piper Sandler cut its price target for the networking equipment vendor to a share price of $125 from a prior $132.Piper analysts cited lower price-to-earnings multiple expectations stemming from concerns that growth is peaking in the industry.The company hit a record high in June, and the stock is up about 56% over the past 12 months as revenue has surged along with the artificial intelligence boom. Last month, Cisco posted strong fourth-quarter earnings that beat estimates, reporting $17.25 billion in revenue that topped a $16.8 billion estimate, according to LSEG. Stock Chart IconStock chart iconCisco's stock priceThe company issued strong guidance for its FY2027 during its last earnings call in August, but shares sank as it was met with a lackluster reception from analysts.While Cisco projected nearly 15% revenue growth, analysts argued sales growth would dip back into single digits. Piper analysts called the projection "conservative" in the context of greater market demand. "We're starting a new fiscal year. We're operating in incredible markets," Robbins told CNBC's Jim Cramer last month. "But it's also a time that we're going to start the year being a little bit prudent."Hyperscalers made up about $4 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2026, and Cisco expects that number to almost double in fiscal 2027 to $7.5 billion.Read more CNBC tech newsElon Musk talks up AI safety while fighting regulation in wild week of strange alliancesOpenAI's latest AI revelation is a 'serious situation,' Microsoft's Suleyman tells CNBCAnthropic and OpenAI need truly independent safety evaluators, experts say in public letterAI safety debate meets reality at Dreamforce as business leaders say last year's models are enough