• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechCisco Systems

Here’s Why Cisco Shares Are Soaring

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 16, 2017, 4:06 PM ET

It’s been a while, but Cisco shares are soaring.

The networking technology giant’s stock were up 5.2% to close Thursday at $35.88, their highest point in 10 years.

The increase comes a day after Cisco projected a 1% to 3% gain in fiscal second quarter sales—marking a potential end to a two-year slump. Although the estimate is for minor growth, it does signify that the company’s move into a software services business from selling networking is business is gaining some traction.

Cisco said its overall revenue dropped 2% in its quarter ending Oct. 28 to $12.14 billion, slightly above Wall Street expectations.

Cisco (CSCO), like many legacy enterprise technology companies including Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), has experienced a drop in sales over the past few years amid the rise of cloud computing. Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT) have built big businesses selling customers on-demand computing resources, which frees companies from buying as much data center gear from the likes of Cisco.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

To revive its business, Cisco has been buying cyber security businesses like OpenDNS and IT software companies like AppDynamics to help bolster its core networking hardware. This year, Cisco also debuted new data center switches and a strategy that involves customers paying subscription fees to access additional software features.

In addition to Cisco’s stock gains, data center storage company NetApp’s shares also rose after the company reported its latest earnings. NetApp (NTAP) stock rose 16% to $53.11 at the market’s close on Thursday after the company said its second quarter sales grew 6% year-over-year to $1.42 billion.

NetApp, like Cisco, has also been negatively impacted by cloud computing, and it’s shifting to selling data management software to help offset declines in its core storage hardware business.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

benioff
CommentarySalesforce
AI’s next act: how Salesforce is turning efficiency gains into revenue
By Keith Ferrazzi and Wendy SmithApril 18, 2026
11 hours ago
brown
AIEntrepreneurs
Meet the AI founders using agents to build instantly profitable 3-person companies
By Nick LichtenbergApril 18, 2026
12 hours ago
Alamar team rings the closing Nasdaq bell while confetti falls.
BankingIPOs
From drought to demand: Biotech IPOs roar back with Kailera and Alamar
By Lily Mae LazarusApril 18, 2026
14 hours ago
dario
AIWhite House
White House chief of staff to meet with Anthropic CEO about dangerous new Mythos model, official says
By Josh Boak, Matt O'Brien and The Associated PressApril 17, 2026
1 day ago
Exclusive: Adam Silver on winning the Edison Achievement Award: ‘Sports remind us that some of the most important forms of innovation are human’
Arts & EntertainmentSports
Exclusive: Adam Silver on winning the Edison Achievement Award: ‘Sports remind us that some of the most important forms of innovation are human’
By Catherina GioinoApril 17, 2026
1 day ago
chris lehane
AIOpenAI
OpenAI policy chief says AI companies ‘need to do a much better job’ talking about AI as industry leaders face personal attacks
By Jake AngeloApril 17, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

'We should absolutely be concerned about non-college-educated men today': higher rents, living at home, falling out of the labor market
Economy
'We should absolutely be concerned about non-college-educated men today': higher rents, living at home, falling out of the labor market
By Catherina GioinoApril 18, 2026
16 hours ago
The power has swung back to employers—and workers are paying for it in benefits, flexibility, and leverage
Workplace Culture
The power has swung back to employers—and workers are paying for it in benefits, flexibility, and leverage
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezApril 17, 2026
1 day ago
Pope Leo warned the world is in ‘big trouble’ if Elon Musk becomes the first trillionaire
Success
Pope Leo warned the world is in ‘big trouble’ if Elon Musk becomes the first trillionaire
By Preston ForeApril 17, 2026
2 days ago
Older millennials are starting to act like boomers in the housing market—and pulling away from the pack
Real Estate
Older millennials are starting to act like boomers in the housing market—and pulling away from the pack
By Nick LichtenbergApril 17, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of April 17, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 17, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerApril 17, 2026
1 day ago
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeApril 15, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.