Analysts Scream for Cisco (CSCO) to Defend Routing Business

After weak guidance, analysts following Cisco (Nasdaq:CSCO) are shouting for the company to abandon its consumer business portfolio and return its focus to its core routing business.

According to Morningstar analyst Grady Burkett, he said in a Reuters article, "What investors would like is to see them more focused on their core market, like routers, switches and data centers, and de-emphasize or even exit some of these consumer businesses,"

Some of the assets analysts would like to see Cisco shed are its cable business unit Scientific Atlanta, the Cius tablet computer line, and its consumer router unit Linksys

At one time Cisco's CEO and Chairman John Chamber had hoped the increase in consumer Internet traffic from the products would end up migrating to an increase in sales of routing equipment. But with consumer product sales plunging 15 percent in the latest quarter, and competitors like Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE:ALU) and Juniper (NYSE:JNPR) chipping away at their core business, it appears the company has a quick decision to make on what business they are in.

Cisco was trading at $18.52, down $0.04, or -0.22 percent, as of 2:03 PM EST.