A few recent rumors also suggested that Cisco was mulling a $20 billion takeover of Splunk (NASDAQ: SPLK) to expand this growing business. Cisco Systems' (NASDAQ: CSCO) stock price has advanced about 7% over the past three months, even as concerns about inflation, rising interest rates, and geopolitical conflicts weighed down the tech sector. Its internet for the future segment -- which houses its cloud-enhanced routing solutions and optical chips -- benefited from its takeover of Acacia Communications and the secular expansion of the edge networking market.