Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Security & Webex in Focus Ahead of Cisco's (CSCO) Q3 Earnings

Read MoreHide Full Article

Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO - Free Report) is set to report third-quarter fiscal 2021 results on May 19.

The company is likely to have benefited from ongoing momentum in Webex services on growing clout of video conferencing led by work-from-home and stay-at-home wave.

Further, solid uptick in network security solutions, triggered by coronavirus crisis induced Internet traffic growth, is likely to have contributed significantly to growth.

Nevertheless, coronavirus pandemic-induced broader macroeconomic weakness across small and medium sized businesses might have negatively impacted the to-be-reported quarter’s performance.

Click here to know how Cisco’s overall fiscal third-quarter performance is expected to be.

Cisco Systems, Inc. Revenue (Quarterly)

Cisco Systems, Inc. Revenue (Quarterly)

Cisco Systems, Inc. revenue-quarterly | Cisco Systems, Inc. Quote

Momentum in Security Offerings Remains Noteworthy

Ongoing momentum in web security, network security, unified threat, and advanced threat solutions in the second quarter of fiscal 2021 is likely to have continued in the quarter to be reported, because of growth in Internet traffic, and rising spend on cybersecurity as employees work remotely amid social distancing norms.

Moreover, Cisco’s focus on portfolio innovation across cloud security solutions and differentiated end-to-end approach that helps in securing identity, endpoints and the network might have expanded customer base in the fiscal third quarter, courtesy of rising security threats faced by enterprises globally.

Further, solid uptick in cloud-based solutions, including Duo and Umbrella, has been encouraging.

Also, robust adoption of latest security solutions, including SecureX and Secure Remote Worker, bodes well.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Security revenues is pegged at $871 million, indicating an improvement of 12.2% from the year-ago quarter.

Strength in Webex Solutions Hold Promise

Cisco’s Applications segment’s fiscal third-quarter performance is expected to have benefited from growing clout of enterprise collaboration offerings including Webex Meetings, Webex Devices and Webex Teams.

Coronavirus crisis induced work-from-home wave has triggered demand for teleconferencing, workspace collaboration and telehealth services. This, in turn, is anticipated to have bolstered the adoption of Cisco’s Webex solutions in the quarter to be reported.

Notably, Cisco, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), is expected to have gained from momentum across new offerings, including Webex Room Navigator that expedites return to office solutions and Webex Legislate aimed at supporting vital functions of global governments. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

This, in turn, is expected to have aided the company strengthen competitive position in the enterprise communication market against Microsoft’s (MSFT - Free Report) Teams and Zoom Video Communications (ZM - Free Report) .

Likewise, incremental adoption of business resiliency solutions to aid enterprises boost workforce and workplace productivity is likely to have favored segmental performance.

Strong uptake of company’s latest solutions focused on distance learning and telehealth services, in a bid to capitalize on growing popularity of web-based learning and telehealthcare trends, might have aided the fiscal third-quarter performance.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Applications revenues stands at $1.436 billion, suggesting growth of 5.4% from the year-ago reported figure.

Solid Catalyst 9000K Adoption: A Key Catalyst

Robust adoption of Cisco’s campus switches, including Cat9K and Nexus 9K, is likely to have benefited Infrastructure Platforms segment’s performance in the fiscal third quarter, as economies reopen leading to an uptick in enterprise spending on campus-networking solutions.

However, increasing investments on product enhancements amid stiff competition from Juniper (JNPR - Free Report) and Arista in networking infrastructure market may have limited margin expansion.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Infrastructure Platforms revenues stands at $6.242 billion, suggesting an improvement of 5.1% from the year-ago reported figure.

Zacks Names “Single Best Pick to Double”

From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.

You know this company from its past glory days, but few would expect that it’s poised for a monster turnaround. Fresh from a successful repositioning and flush with A-list celeb endorsements, it could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in a little more than 9 months and Nvidia which boomed +175.9% in one year.

Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >>

Published in