Nokia's AI Ventures May Alleviate Its Telecom Stagnation
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Oct 28 2025
0mins
Should l Buy CSCO?
Source: Reuters
Nokia's Evolution and Market Position: Nokia has transitioned from a pulp mill to a key player in mobile phone manufacturing and telecom infrastructure, positioning itself to benefit from the AI-driven data center boom, unlike its rival Ericsson.
Financial Outlook and Revenue Growth: Despite a challenging telecom infrastructure market, Nokia's acquisition of Infinera and focus on hyperscalers are expected to drive revenue growth, with projections indicating an increase from 19.5 billion euros in 2024 to 21.5 billion euros by 2028.
Shift in Revenue Sources: Nokia's network infrastructure division, which includes optical networks and AI-related products, is anticipated to become the largest revenue contributor for the company this year, surpassing its mobile networks business for the first time since 2017.
Investor Sentiment and Valuation: Following a significant rise in share price, Nokia's valuation has increased, trading at nearly 17 times projected earnings, which is closer to Cisco's valuation, while Ericsson lags behind at 13 times, reflecting investor confidence in Nokia's AI initiatives.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy CSCO?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on CSCO
Wall Street analysts forecast CSCO stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CSCO is 89.36 USD with a low forecast of 76.00 USD and a high forecast of 100.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
14 Analyst Rating
10 Buy
4 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 82.360
Low
76.00
Averages
89.36
High
100.00
Current: 82.360
Low
76.00
Averages
89.36
High
100.00
About CSCO
Cisco Systems, Inc. designs and sells a range of technologies that power the Internet. The Company is integrating its product portfolios across networking, security, collaboration, applications and cloud. The Company's segments include the Americas; Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and Asia Pacific, Japan, and China (APJC). Its Networking product category represents its core networking technologies of switching, routing, wireless, fifth generation (5G), silicon, optics solutions and compute products. Its Security product category consists of its cloud and application security, industrial security, network security, and user and device security offerings. Its Collaboration product category consists of its meetings, collaboration devices, calling, contact center and platform as a service (CPaaS) offering. Its Observability product category consists of its full stack observability offerings.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Key Earnings Reports and Economic Outlook This Week
- DuPont Earnings Expectations: DuPont is expected to report earnings of $0.43 per share and revenue of $1.69 billion for Q4 2025, with analysts noting ongoing pressure in short-cycle businesses, while slight improvements in the automotive sector may influence investor sentiment.
- Cisco's AI Focus: Cisco anticipates earnings of $1.02 per share and revenue of $15.1 billion for Q2 FY2026, with CEO highlighting a major multi-year campus networking refresh, making AI infrastructure demand a critical growth driver.
- Importance of Employment Report: The January employment report is expected to show an addition of 80,000 nonfarm payrolls and an unchanged unemployment rate of 4.4%, directly impacting private consumption and U.S. GDP, making it crucial for investors to monitor.
- Consumer Price Index Insights: The January CPI is projected to increase by 2.5% year-over-year, with core CPI rising by 2.6%, providing essential inflation details despite not being the Fed's preferred measure, particularly regarding persistent shelter cost inflation.
See More
Key Focus Areas This Week: Jobs, Consumer Prices, Coca-Cola, CVS, Ford, McDonald's, and More
- Market Performance: The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 2.5% and closed above 50,000 for the first time.
- Nasdaq Struggles: In contrast, the Nasdaq Composite ended the week down 1.8%, despite a strong rally on Friday.
See More
Software Stocks Decline 30% Amid AI Concerns
- Market Overreaction: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argues that the sell-off in software stocks due to the introduction of AI tools is irrational, as these tools are designed to work alongside existing software rather than replace it, indicating a lack of rationality in the market's pessimism towards the software industry.
- Microsoft's Strong Performance: Microsoft has seen a 160% increase in paid users for its generative AI copilots in products like Microsoft 365, and despite a 27% drop from its high, its adjusted earnings grew by 24% in the last quarter, showcasing the company's robust performance in the AI sector.
- AppLovin's Rapid Growth: AppLovin's Axon machine learning engine provides a competitive edge in its ad tech software, and although its stock is down 52%, its earnings surged by 96% in the last quarter, indicating strong potential in the advertising technology space.
- HubSpot's Innovative Leadership: HubSpot has become the first CRM vendor to integrate its platform with three leading generative AI tools, and despite a 73% decline in stock price, its adjusted earnings increased by 22%, demonstrating its ongoing innovation capabilities in customer relationship management.
See More
Affluent Families Concerned About Geopolitical Issues, Yet Hesitant to Invest in AI, Crypto, or Gold
Geopolitical Concerns Among Wealthy Families: A report from J.P. Morgan Private Bank reveals that 20% of wealthy single-family offices identify geopolitics as their primary concern.
International vs. U.S. Perspectives: The report highlights that 74% of non-U.S. families and 57% of U.S. families consider geopolitics to be among their top five concerns.
See More
Investors Nervous About Robinhood's Bitcoin Correlation
- Labor Data Impact: The upcoming nonfarm payroll report on Wednesday is expected to show an addition of 80,000 jobs, and if the data comes in weak, it could lead the Fed to continue cutting rates, which would positively impact the stock market, reflecting concerns about economic slowdown.
- CVS Health Earnings Outlook: CVS Health is set to report quarterly results on Tuesday, and despite being affected by the Trump administration's proposed reimbursement rates for Medicare Advantage, Cramer believes CEO David Joyner's management is impressive and the stock is worth owning.
- DuPont Performance Highlights: DuPont's earnings report on the same day is expected to showcase CEO Lori Koch's success in improving the company's performance, with the stock soaring 58% over the past six months, reflecting the effectiveness of its electronics business spin-off strategy.
- Robinhood Trading Risks: Robinhood will report earnings on Tuesday, and due to its close correlation with cryptocurrency markets, investors are concerned, as the stock has dropped nearly 27% year-to-date, significantly underperforming the S&P 500's 1.3% gain.
See More
Dow Reaches 50,000 as Concerns Over AI Diminish
- Market Performance: The week was challenging for markets, but it concluded with a surge of optimism among investors.
- Dow 50K Discussion: The article focuses on the potential for the Dow Jones Industrial Average to reach the 50,000 mark, highlighting the factors that could contribute to this milestone.
- Investor Sentiment: Despite recent difficulties, there is a renewed sense of hope and positive sentiment in the market, suggesting a possible recovery.
- Future Outlook: Analysts are considering the implications of reaching the Dow 50K and what it could mean for the broader economy and investment strategies.
See More
Key Earnings Reports and Economic Outlook This Week
- DuPont Earnings Expectations: DuPont is expected to report earnings of $0.43 per share and revenue of $1.69 billion for Q4 2025, with analysts noting ongoing pressure in short-cycle businesses, while slight improvements in the automotive sector may influence investor sentiment.
- Cisco's AI Focus: Cisco anticipates earnings of $1.02 per share and revenue of $15.1 billion for Q2 FY2026, with CEO highlighting a major multi-year campus networking refresh, making AI infrastructure demand a critical growth driver.
- Importance of Employment Report: The January employment report is expected to show an addition of 80,000 nonfarm payrolls and an unchanged unemployment rate of 4.4%, directly impacting private consumption and U.S. GDP, making it crucial for investors to monitor.
- Consumer Price Index Insights: The January CPI is projected to increase by 2.5% year-over-year, with core CPI rising by 2.6%, providing essential inflation details despite not being the Fed's preferred measure, particularly regarding persistent shelter cost inflation.
See More
Key Focus Areas This Week: Jobs, Consumer Prices, Coca-Cola, CVS, Ford, McDonald's, and More
- Market Performance: The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 2.5% and closed above 50,000 for the first time.
- Nasdaq Struggles: In contrast, the Nasdaq Composite ended the week down 1.8%, despite a strong rally on Friday.
See More
Software Stocks Decline 30% Amid AI Concerns
- Market Overreaction: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argues that the sell-off in software stocks due to the introduction of AI tools is irrational, as these tools are designed to work alongside existing software rather than replace it, indicating a lack of rationality in the market's pessimism towards the software industry.
- Microsoft's Strong Performance: Microsoft has seen a 160% increase in paid users for its generative AI copilots in products like Microsoft 365, and despite a 27% drop from its high, its adjusted earnings grew by 24% in the last quarter, showcasing the company's robust performance in the AI sector.
- AppLovin's Rapid Growth: AppLovin's Axon machine learning engine provides a competitive edge in its ad tech software, and although its stock is down 52%, its earnings surged by 96% in the last quarter, indicating strong potential in the advertising technology space.
- HubSpot's Innovative Leadership: HubSpot has become the first CRM vendor to integrate its platform with three leading generative AI tools, and despite a 73% decline in stock price, its adjusted earnings increased by 22%, demonstrating its ongoing innovation capabilities in customer relationship management.
See More
Affluent Families Concerned About Geopolitical Issues, Yet Hesitant to Invest in AI, Crypto, or Gold
Geopolitical Concerns Among Wealthy Families: A report from J.P. Morgan Private Bank reveals that 20% of wealthy single-family offices identify geopolitics as their primary concern.
International vs. U.S. Perspectives: The report highlights that 74% of non-U.S. families and 57% of U.S. families consider geopolitics to be among their top five concerns.
See More
Investors Nervous About Robinhood's Bitcoin Correlation
- Labor Data Impact: The upcoming nonfarm payroll report on Wednesday is expected to show an addition of 80,000 jobs, and if the data comes in weak, it could lead the Fed to continue cutting rates, which would positively impact the stock market, reflecting concerns about economic slowdown.
- CVS Health Earnings Outlook: CVS Health is set to report quarterly results on Tuesday, and despite being affected by the Trump administration's proposed reimbursement rates for Medicare Advantage, Cramer believes CEO David Joyner's management is impressive and the stock is worth owning.
- DuPont Performance Highlights: DuPont's earnings report on the same day is expected to showcase CEO Lori Koch's success in improving the company's performance, with the stock soaring 58% over the past six months, reflecting the effectiveness of its electronics business spin-off strategy.
- Robinhood Trading Risks: Robinhood will report earnings on Tuesday, and due to its close correlation with cryptocurrency markets, investors are concerned, as the stock has dropped nearly 27% year-to-date, significantly underperforming the S&P 500's 1.3% gain.
See More
Dow Reaches 50,000 as Concerns Over AI Diminish
- Market Performance: The week was challenging for markets, but it concluded with a surge of optimism among investors.
- Dow 50K Discussion: The article focuses on the potential for the Dow Jones Industrial Average to reach the 50,000 mark, highlighting the factors that could contribute to this milestone.
- Investor Sentiment: Despite recent difficulties, there is a renewed sense of hope and positive sentiment in the market, suggesting a possible recovery.
- Future Outlook: Analysts are considering the implications of reaching the Dow 50K and what it could mean for the broader economy and investment strategies.
See More
