March 2000, Cisco Briefly Became The World's Most Valuable Company As Its Stock Closed At $80.06. Buyers That Day Waited More Than 25 Years For It To Close Higher. Here's What AI Investors Need To Know

The piece revisits Cisco’s historic dot-com peak and what it means for today’s AI-era investors. It notes that on Monday, March 27, 2000, Associated Press reported Cisco’s market value at $555.5 billion, making it the world’s most valuable company, surpassing Microsoft’s $541.6 billion. Cisco’s stock closed at $80.06—yet buyers who paid that high waited more than 25 years to see a higher closing price. The article attributes the valuation to expectations of “perfection,” citing a P/E above 200 and an enterprise value-to-sales ratio of 31. After the Nasdaq breakup, Cisco’s shares fell 87.11% from March 27, 2000 to Oct. 11, 2002, and recovery took decades, with a new closing high on Dec. 10, 2025.