Arista Networks, Inc. $ANET Stock Sold by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al cut its holdings in Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET) by 3.1% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 492,764 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 15,800 shares during the quarter. Arista Networks accounts for about 0.6% of VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Arista Networks were worth $100,322,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Davidson Trust Co. bought a new stake in Arista Networks during the third quarter worth about $3,512,000. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in Arista Networks by 4.3% during the second quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 9,357,496 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,589,651,000 after purchasing an additional 388,354 shares during the last quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Arista Networks by 2,827.9% in the third quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 52,381 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $10,664,000 after purchasing an additional 50,592 shares in the last quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services bought a new position in Arista Networks in the first quarter valued at approximately $5,279,000. Finally, Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. grew its stake in Arista Networks by 564.1% in the second quarter. Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. now owns 16,847 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,862,000 after purchasing an additional 14,310 shares in the last quarter. 82.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arista Networks Stock Down 8.5%

ANET opened at $168.63 on Friday. Arista Networks, Inc. has a 12-month low of $114.52 and a 12-month high of $217.41. The stock has a market cap of $212.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.20, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.60. The business has a 50 day moving average of $195.18 and a 200-day moving average of $164.70.

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The technology company reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.83 billion. Arista Networks had a return on equity of 30.65% and a net margin of 38.37%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.73 EPS. Arista Networks has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.060-1.080 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 3.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Arista Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Arista’s leadership in high-speed networking for hyperscale cloud and artificial-intelligence data centers remains a key investment argument. A comparison with Figma highlights Arista’s established infrastructure position, while Figma is still expanding its collaborative design platform and generative-AI tools. Arista Networks vs. Figma: Which Technology Stock Is a Better Buy in 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to point to accelerating AI infrastructure investment as a long-term growth driver. One valuation analysis suggests ANET could be roughly 23% undervalued if its AI-related outlook and product expansion are realized. Arista Networks Could Be 23% Undervalued Following Its AI Infrastructure Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Arista was included among high-return-on-equity stocks positioned to benefit from the AI-driven market rally, reinforcing its reputation for strong profitability and capital efficiency. 5 Stocks With High ROE to Bet on as AI-Infused Rally Spurs Markets
• Neutral Sentiment: The global AI data-center market is forecast to expand substantially through 2036, offering a favorable industry backdrop for Arista, although the report covers many competing equipment and infrastructure suppliers. Global AI Data Center Market Size, Share, Trends, and Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Investors appear cautious ahead of earnings: shares have pulled back nearly 10% over the past month and roughly 20% from their high as profit-taking and valuation concerns increase the risk of disappointment. Arista trades at a premium multiple, leaving limited room for weaker guidance or supply-chain issues. Down 20% From Highs, Is Arista Networks a Genius Buy or a Trap Before Earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent trading coverage noted ANET underperformed the broader market, while attention on a Prometheus networking deployment adds another near-term execution and product-adoption uncertainty. Arista Networks Stocks Move Lower With Prometheus Networking Deployment in Focus

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Arista Networks news, Director Mark Templeton sold 5,000 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.37, for a total transaction of $1,021,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 48,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,893,551.70. The trade was a 9.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Chantelle Breithaupt sold 1,224 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.00, for a total transaction of $263,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 68,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,769,855. This trade represents a 1.75% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,627,449 shares of company stock worth $741,235,386. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on ANET shares. Weiss Ratings raised Arista Networks from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $259.00 price objective (up from $187.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Arista Networks in a research note on Monday, August 31st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $220.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Arista Networks from $175.00 to $234.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.20.

About Arista Networks

Arista Networks, Inc develops and sells cloud networking solutions for data centers, cloud service providers, enterprises and specialized computing environments. The company’s products are designed to support high-performance, scalable and automated networks used for cloud computing, artificial intelligence, data analytics and other demanding applications.

Arista’s portfolio includes data center and campus switches, routing platforms, wireless networking products, network operating software and network management tools.