F5 Networks’ (FFIV) partnerships with VMware (VMW) and Cisco Systems (CSCO) will boost its competitiveness in key emerging data center technologies, says ISI Group, which upgraded F5 stock on Wednesday. ISI Group analyst Brian Marshall upgraded F5 to strong buy from a buy rating and set a 135 price target. F5 Networks, up 35% this year, was up 2% in morning trading in the stock market today, near 122.50, hitting a 27-month high for the second
The scramble by Cisco Systems (CSCO) to transition to adapt to a fast-changing Internet environment was on full display late Wednesday after the computer networking leader released mixed fiscal Q4 earnings and announced its second round of layoffs in a year. Cisco’s Q4 earnings and revenue came in ahead of analyst estimates, but its EPS outlook was light and its revenue outlook, though in line, calls for possibly another quarter of flat growth.
Cisco Systems said late Wednesday that it would cut 6,000 jobs, or 8% of its workforce. It also offered only tepid guidance for fiscal Q1, though its Q4 earnings and revenue beat Wall Street expectations. Revenue continued to slip and so did net income for the No. 1 maker of networking gear, which is shifting its emphasis to data-center products and other fields as sales of its core routers and switches fall. Cisco (CSCO) stock was down 1% in