On a split-adjusted basis, the all-time high for shares of Cisco Systems (NasdaqGM: CSCO) is around $77.31, seen in the second quarter of 2000.
Cisco, a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, would need to more than triple from current levels to reclaim that old high. An optimist would say anything is possible, which is true. A realist would say such a move for Cisco is not probable.
They can meet in the middle and say with a year-to-date gain of almost 7% heading into Wednesday, Cisco is one of just seven Dow stocks up at least 5% this year. In the PowerShares QQQ (NasdaqGS: QQQ), just half of that ETF’s top-10 holdings are up year-to-date. Cisco is one.
Both anecdotes are signs of Cisco’s status as one of the sturdy old dogs that have been buoying the technology sectors as Internet and social media names have recently struggled. [Old Names Defend Tech ETFs]
Cisco, the largest maker of networking gear, has a market value of nearly $121 billion, meaning it is a top-10 holding in plenty of exchange traded funds. Twenty to be precise, according to S&P Capital IQ.
However, not all ETFs offer allocations to Cisco that can be considered sizable. A few do, including the iShares North American Tech-Multimedia Networking ETF (NYSEArca: IGN). The $329 million IGN devotes 9.4% of its weight to Cisco, making the stock the ETF’s largest holding.
As was recently noted, IGN fits the bill as another old school tech ETF that is currently thriving. In addition to Cisco, IGN allocates 9.2% to Qualcomm (NasdaqGS: QCOM), which has been one of the top-performing large-cap tech stocks this year. A combined 18.6% weight to Cisco and Qualcomm has IGN up 7.5% year-to-date. [Another Tech ETF With an Old School Tilt]
Cisco is just four basis points behind (NasdaqGS: INTC) for the honor of being the largest holding in the increasingly popular First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index Fund (NasdaqGM: TDIV). Cisco’s heft in TDIV is the result of the company’s growing status as a legitimate dividend stock.
California-based Cisco did not pay a dividend until 2011 when it introduced a quarterly payout of six cents per share. The company has since more than tripled its dividend to 19 cents per share per quarter and currently yields 3.3%. That means Cisco has a higher dividend yield than fellow Dow components Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), just to name a few.
Cisco accounts for 8.33% of TDIV’s weight and has been one of the primary contributors to the ETF’s 3.7% rise this year. With help from Cisco, the technology sector is becoming more of a dividend destination than it has ever been, helping explain why over $186 million of TDIV’s $478.3 million in assets under management has come into the ETF just this year. [Dividends Soar in the First Quarter]
iShares North American Tech-Multimedia Networking ETF
Tom Lydon’s clients own shares of Coca-Cola, Cisco, Intel, Procter & Gamble and QQQ.