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Cisco Tops Q2 and Raises Outlook as AI Orders Accelerate, Shares Fall on Margin Pressure

Investors focused on margin pressure from rising memory costs.

Overview

  • Cisco reported adjusted EPS of $1.04 and revenue of $15.35 billion for fiscal Q2, beating Wall Street estimates.
  • Management lifted full-year fiscal 2026 guidance to $61.2–$61.7 billion in revenue and $4.13–$4.17 in adjusted EPS, and guided Q3 revenue to $15.4–$15.6 billion with EPS of $1.02–$1.04.
  • AI infrastructure orders from hyperscalers reached $2.1 billion in the quarter, and CEO Chuck Robbins said Cisco now expects AI orders above $5 billion and over $3 billion in hyperscaler AI revenue in FY26.
  • Adjusted gross margin was 67.5% in Q2, below forecasts, with Q3 margin guidance of 65.5%–66.5% as higher memory costs drive Cisco to raise prices and revise partner and customer contracts.
  • Shares fell about 7% in extended trading, even as Cisco highlighted new AI networking hardware including a homegrown chip and a switch incorporating an Nvidia component.