Cisco Systems IncEarnings beat but margins fell and AI revenue small; Cramer argues lowballed guidance and underappreciated cybersecurity/data-center opportunities.

Jim Cramer dismissed the market's negative reaction to Cisco Systems' latest earnings, arguing that CEO Chuck Robbins lowballed projections and that the company's cybersecurity and data-center networking opportunities are underappreciated. Cisco's fiscal Q4 revenue grew 18% annually to $17.3 billion, yet shares closed 8.4% lower on August 13th after the August 12th report. Corporate orders grew more than 30% to $13 billion, with performance obligations of $46.7 billion and $32 billion in recurring revenue, leading Bank of America and Morningstar to note strong hyperscaler demand capture. However, gross margins fell to 66.3% from 68.4% a year earlier, AI revenue of $4 billion was less than 10% of total revenue, and HSBC downgraded the stock to Hold amid margin pressure and flat services growth.
Cisco Systems IncEarnings beat but margins fell and AI revenue small; Cramer argues lowballed guidance and underappreciated cybersecurity/data-center opportunities.
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