Cisco shares surge 15% as traders treat stock like meme favorite ahead of earnings

Investors are eyeing Cisco with meme stock enthusiasm, driving up options trading before earnings.

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Add us on Google by Editorial Team May. 14, 2026

Cisco shares have caught the attention of traders, and not in the usual, steady-earnings way. Ahead of the company’s next earnings report, the options market is buzzing with activity akin to a Reddit-fueled buying frenzy.

Meme Vibes in Motion

Traders are snapping up call options at a pace that suggests some investors believe Cisco is poised for glory, much like it experienced after the last earnings report when shares popped over 16%. During that period, the company delighted shareholders with record revenues and optimistic guidance tied to its AI forays.

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Cisco is being lifted by its perceived role in AI infrastructure, with Wall Street taking note of its strides in AI data-center networking.

Numbers, and a Little Math

Cisco’s valuation is around 21 times its forward earnings. For context, this is pretty steep for a company whose revenue grows at a leisurely mid-single-digit pace.

The heavy call-option buying indicates traders might be betting on an AI-led renaissance for Cisco, with deep speculation that Cisco’s fortunes are tied to how convincingly it can narrate this AI story.

Guidance and Guardrails

Some analysts are warning that the enthusiasm might be overdone, cautioning that investors might be excessively optimistic about Cisco’s AI narrative given the disconnect between its valuation and its mid-single-digit growth rate.

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