Insider Selling: Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) Major Shareholder Sells 260,000 Shares of Stock

Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET) major shareholder Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 260,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.45, for a total value of $43,017,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 180,015,156 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,783,507,560.20. This trade represents a 0.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Andreas Bechtolsheim also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, October 30th, Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 267,892 shares of Arista Networks stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.19, for a total transaction of $45,860,431.48.
• On Thursday, September 17th, Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 300,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.95, for a total value of $59,685,000.00.
• On Thursday, August 27th, Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 300,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $202.60, for a total value of $60,780,000.00.

Arista Networks Trading Up 9.2%

Shares of NYSE:ANET traded up $15.73 during trading on Monday, reaching $186.53. 10,937,293 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,180,400. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $192.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $165.99. The firm has a market cap of $235.25 billion, a PE ratio of 49.58, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.61. Arista Networks, Inc. has a 12 month low of $114.52 and a 12 month high of $217.41.

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The technology company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.33 billion. Arista Networks had a return on equity of 32.20% and a net margin of 39.97%. Arista Networks’s revenue was up 58.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.75 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 3.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ANET. Morse Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Arista Networks by 19.3% during the third quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 15,210 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,097,000 after buying an additional 2,461 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its stake in Arista Networks by 14.9% in the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 16,564 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,372,000 after acquiring an additional 2,147 shares during the last quarter. Wall Street Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Arista Networks during the third quarter worth about $264,000. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in Arista Networks by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 16,317 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,321,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Arista Networks by 127.7% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 71,745 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $14,605,000 after purchasing an additional 40,243 shares during the period. 82.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arista Networks News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Arista’s latest quarter delivered strong growth: revenue rose 58.5% year over year and earnings exceeded expectations. The company’s roughly $18.5 billion 2027 revenue outlook reinforces the case that demand for AI networking remains robust. AI-driven revenue beat lifts the tape, but momentum remains mixed
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage highlights Arista’s potential to benefit from a large AI networking opportunity, and momentum-focused investors point to its earnings surprises and growth projections as favorable. Arista Networks Is Tapping a $200 Billion AI Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Arista has committed $11.4 billion to suppliers as it prepares to meet expected demand. Those purchases support its growth plans, but also raise the importance of delivering on its 2027 revenue outlook. Arista’s supplier commitments and 2027 outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Shares have faced pressure from a broad AI-hardware selloff, with reports describing a sharp weekly decline despite the company’s strong results and outlook. This sector-driven weakness may continue to weigh on near-term trading. Arista Sinks 14% in a Week Despite an $18.55 Billion 2027 Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price-target revisions are mixed, reflecting uncertainty over how much investors should pay for Arista’s AI-driven growth. Arista Networks Stock Sees Modest Fair Value Lift After Analyst Revisions

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ANET shares. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Arista Networks to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $230.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of Arista Networks in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Melius Research set a $305.00 price target on shares of Arista Networks in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Arista Networks from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $240.24.

Arista Networks Company Profile

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.