Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) Now Covered by Melius Research

Research analysts at Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) in a report issued on Wednesday, Zacks reports. The brokerage set a “strong-buy” rating on the technology company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on ANET. Jefferies Financial Group set a $250.00 price target on shares of Arista Networks in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Arista Networks from $240.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Arista Networks in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Arista Networks from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $260.00 target price on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $240.24.

Arista Networks Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ANET opened at $159.21 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $200.80 billion, a PE ratio of 42.80, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.61. The business has a fifty day moving average of $193.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $165.48. Arista Networks has a 52-week low of $114.52 and a 52-week high of $217.41.

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The technology company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.12. Arista Networks had a net margin of 39.97% and a return on equity of 32.20%. The company had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.75 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 58.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Arista Networks will post 3.80 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Arista Networks

In other Arista Networks news, major shareholder Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 300,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.95, for a total transaction of $59,685,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 180,543,048 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,919,039,399.60. This represents a 0.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Kenneth Duda sold 26,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.42, for a total transaction of $4,820,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 452,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,884,008. The trade was a 5.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 2,380,998 shares of company stock valued at $482,687,801 over the last ninety days. 2.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Arista Networks

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ANET. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Arista Networks by 159.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 121,303,125 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $20,606,975,000 after acquiring an additional 74,541,134 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in Arista Networks in the second quarter valued at about $1,101,860,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Arista Networks by 199.0% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,630,196 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,635,978,000 after acquiring an additional 6,409,612 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in Arista Networks in the second quarter worth about $537,736,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Arista Networks by 34.6% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,725,196 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,712,788,000 after purchasing an additional 2,497,275 shares during the period. 82.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Arista Networks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Arista Networks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Arista beat third-quarter estimates, reporting $3.66 billion in revenue—up 58.5% year over year—and $1.20 in EPS, above consensus. Management’s 2027 revenue outlook of about $18.5 billion exceeded Street expectations, with AI-fabric revenue projected to reach roughly $7 billion. Article: ANET Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates on Strong AI and Enterprise Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remain bullish: Rosenblatt reiterated Buy with a $280 target, while JPMorgan and Truist also see substantial upside. Piper Sandler raised its target to $261; Barclays cut its target to $236 but retained an Overweight rating. Article: Arista Networks Earns Buy Rating from Rosenblatt Securities
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Mark Templeton sold shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, which makes the sale less clearly indicative of his view of Arista’s prospects. Article: Insider Selling: Arista Networks Director Sells Stock
• Negative Sentiment: A sector-wide selloff in AI infrastructure and networking stocks has pressured Arista despite its strong results. Reports link the retreat to election-related policy concerns and investor risk aversion, suggesting the decline reflects broader market sentiment as well as company-specific factors. Article: Arista Sinks as AI Selloff Deepens
• Negative Sentiment: Insider-selling coverage, including a report that Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 267,892 shares, may add to near-term concerns about supply of shares and investor confidence. Article: Arista Networks Stock: Insider Andreas Bechtolsheim Sells Shares

About Arista Networks

Arista Networks, Inc develops software-driven networking products for large data centers, cloud environments, AI workloads, and enterprise campuses. Its offerings include Ethernet switches and routers, along with software and services for managing, monitoring, and securing networks.

The company’s software portfolio includes its Extensible Operating System (EOS), which runs across its networking platforms, and CloudVision, a platform for network automation and management. Arista’s products are used by cloud providers, businesses, and other organizations to connect and manage computing infrastructure.

Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Arista serves customers worldwide.