Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) Major Shareholder Andreas Bechtolsheim Sells 240,000 Shares

Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET) major shareholder Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 240,000 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.67, for a total transaction of $39,040,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 182,043,048 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,612,942,618.16. This represents a 0.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Wednesday, July 1st, Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 260,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.22, for a total transaction of $42,697,200.00.
• On Monday, June 15th, Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 260,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.57, for a total transaction of $43,048,200.00.
• On Friday, June 5th, Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 220,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.93, for a total value of $34,744,600.00.
• On Thursday, June 4th, Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 240,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.06, for a total value of $39,134,400.00.
• On Tuesday, May 26th, Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 220,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.86, for a total value of $34,509,200.00.
• On Friday, May 22nd, Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 205,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.74, for a total value of $31,106,700.00.

Arista Networks Price Performance

Shares of Arista Networks stock opened at $166.03 on Wednesday. Arista Networks, Inc. has a 1-year low of $100.94 and a 1-year high of $179.80. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $158.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.68. The company has a market capitalization of $209.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.86, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.60.

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The technology company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.06. Arista Networks had a return on equity of 30.10% and a net margin of 38.32%.The company had revenue of $2.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.65 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Arista Networks has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.880-0.880 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Arista Networks from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $200.00 target price (up from $178.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price target (up from $180.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $175.00 price objective on Arista Networks in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Arista Networks has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $187.63.

Institutional Trading of Arista Networks

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in Arista Networks in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new stake in shares of Arista Networks in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Sankala Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arista Networks in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in shares of Arista Networks during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Arista Networks during the third quarter valued at $29,000. 82.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Arista Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Arista is still being viewed as a beneficiary of the AI infrastructure buildout, with reports highlighting strong demand for its high-speed networking gear as cloud and data center operators expand AI capacity. Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) Extends AI Network Rally
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary says ANET is nearing a technical buy point, which can attract momentum and growth investors looking for an entry in a strong AI-related name. Dow Jones Payments Leader Visa Breaks Out; Arista Networks Eyes Buy Point
• Positive Sentiment: The company confirmed it will report Q2 2026 results on August 4, keeping attention on upcoming earnings that could validate growth expectations. Arista Networks to Announce Q2 2026 Financial Results on Tuesday, August 4, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and institutional investors remain generally constructive, with strong buy/buy ratings and continued ownership by funds supporting sentiment, though this is not a fresh catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by Director Charles Giancarlo and major shareholder Andreas Bechtolsheim may weigh on sentiment, even though the trades were made under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans. Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) Director Charles Giancarlo Sells 8,000 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Investors also reacted to reports that ANET dipped more than the broader market in the latest session, suggesting some profit-taking after a strong run. Why Arista Networks (ANET) Dipped More Than Broader Market Today

Arista Networks Company Profile

Arista Networks, Inc is a technology company that designs and sells cloud networking solutions for large-scale data centers and enterprise environments. The company is best known for its high-performance switching and routing platforms, which are used to build scalable, low-latency networks for cloud service providers, internet companies, financial services, telecommunications, and enterprise IT. Arista’s offerings emphasize programmability, automation and telemetry to support modern, software-driven network architectures.

Central to Arista’s product portfolio is its Extensible Operating System (EOS), a modular network operating system that provides consistent programmability, stateful control and advanced visibility across the company’s hardware platforms.