Financial Analysts Hopeful About Tuesday’s Cisco Event

Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) holds its financial analyst meeting tomorrow and observers say the company is most likely to talk up its ability to return to target revenue growth as well as outline its M&A strategy for 2010.

"As the economy and environment returns to a normalized state, they're going to be talking about a 12 percent to 17 percent growth rate," Jefferies & Co analyst Bill Choi told Reuters.

Experts also will want to know more about Cisco’s M&A work such as the pending takeovers of videoconferencing company TANDBERG and wireless equipment maker Starent Networks.

Cisco also is competing more and more in the consumer arena against the likes of Hewlett-Packard and some analysts question whether that’s core to Cisco’s strength.

Regardless, Cisco has the resources to step out of its comfort zone. The San Jose, Calif.-based company ended its first fiscal quarter with $35.4 billion in cash and investments. It’s also been conducting a $5 billion, three-part debt sale.