Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET – Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,184 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $852,000.
Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. ABS Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Arista Networks in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC purchased a new stake in Arista Networks during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in Arista Networks during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC increased its stake in Arista Networks by 61.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC now owns 183 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in Arista Networks during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.47% of the company’s stock.
Insider Transactions at Arista Networks
In other news, major shareholder Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 300,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.30, for a total transaction of $60,990,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 181,143,048 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,826,381,658.40. This trade represents a 0.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 767,029 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.22, for a total transaction of $154,341,575.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 16,387,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,297,589,536.82. This represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,627,449 shares of company stock valued at $740,784,723. 2.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Arista Networks Price Performance
Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The technology company reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.13. Arista Networks had a return on equity of 30.65% and a net margin of 38.37%. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.83 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. Arista Networks’s revenue was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Arista Networks has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.060-1.080 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 3.79 earnings per share for the current year.
Arista Networks News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Arista Networks this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Arista introduced an open Ethernet rack-scale portfolio designed to connect accelerators across liquid-cooled racks for large AI workloads. The launch reinforces the company’s position in AI networking and could expand its addressable market. Arista Networks Stock Dropped, What Is Behind the Fresh Attention?
- Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank modestly raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $3.79 from $3.78 and its FY2027 forecast to $4.74 from $4.73, while maintaining a Buy rating. The revisions suggest continued confidence in Arista’s earnings growth.
- Positive Sentiment: A separate report said Arista’s revenue outlook was raised for the third time this year and non-cancellable purchase commitments climbed 2.7 times to $9.7 billion. If accurate, the commitments provide stronger visibility into future demand. Arista Networks Prospects and Earnings
- Neutral Sentiment: Arista’s previous quarterly results exceeded expectations, with revenue up 37.7% year over year and EPS of $1.02 versus the $0.89 consensus. However, the stock trades at a high earnings multiple, leaving less room for disappointment.
- Negative Sentiment: CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 130,553 shares for approximately $28.3 million and another 27,990 shares for about $6.1 million. Both transactions were executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, and Ullal still owns roughly 4.8 million shares, which reduces—but does not eliminate—the negative signal from the sales.
- Negative Sentiment: The stock recently declined more than the broader market after gaining about 58% year to date and reaching near its 52-week high. The move appears consistent with profit-taking and valuation concerns rather than a reported deterioration in Arista’s business outlook. Arista Networks Registers a Bigger Fall Than the Market
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
ANET has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their target price on shares of Arista Networks from $210.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Arista Networks from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Arista Networks from $175.00 to $234.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $255.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Arista Networks presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $235.45.
Get Our Latest Research Report on ANET
About Arista Networks
Arista Networks, Inc develops and sells cloud networking solutions for data centers, campus environments and high-performance computing applications. Its products include Ethernet switches, routers, wireless access points and related networking equipment designed to support cloud computing, artificial intelligence, enterprise and service-provider networks.
The company’s software portfolio includes Arista EOS, its network operating system, and CloudVision, a platform that helps customers manage, automate and monitor network infrastructure.
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