Arista Networks, Inc. $ANET Shares Purchased by Balefire LLC

Key Points

• Balefire LLC increased its Arista Networks stake by 461.2% in the third quarter, purchasing 6,895 additional shares for a total holding of 8,390 shares valued at approximately $1.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 82.47% of the stock.
• Arista shares rose 2.7% to $216.63, near their 52-week high, after the company reported revenue growth of 37.7% year over year to $3.04 billion and quarterly EPS of $1.02, beating consensus estimates.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $235.45, but valuation and insider selling remain risks. CEO Jayshree Ullal sold approximately $97.6 million in shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, while the stock trades at a P/E ratio above 68.

Balefire LLC grew its stake in Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET - Free Report) by 461.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,390 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,895 shares during the quarter. Balefire LLC's holdings in Arista Networks were worth $1,708,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Arista Networks by 159.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 121,303,125 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $20,606,975,000 after purchasing an additional 74,541,134 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Arista Networks by 34.6% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,725,196 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,712,788,000 after buying an additional 2,497,275 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Arista Networks by 199.0% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,630,196 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,635,978,000 after buying an additional 6,409,612 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in shares of Arista Networks by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 9,357,496 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,589,651,000 after acquiring an additional 388,354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Arista Networks by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,440,963 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,433,951,000 after acquiring an additional 470,451 shares during the last quarter. 82.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Arista Networks Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE ANET traded up $5.67 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $216.63. 4,328,734 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,901,684. Arista Networks, Inc. has a twelve month low of $114.52 and a twelve month high of $217.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $273.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.34, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.60. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $197.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $171.74.

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The technology company reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.13. Arista Networks had a return on equity of 30.65% and a net margin of 38.37%.The business had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.83 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.73 EPS. Arista Networks's revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts predict that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 3.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $259.00 price objective (up from $187.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Arista Networks from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $260.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $255.00 price target (up from $200.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $250.00 price target on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $235.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at Arista Networks

In other Arista Networks news, CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 460,374 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.09, for a total transaction of $97,640,721.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,811,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,020,408,892.63. This represents a 8.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Kenneth Duda sold 17,333 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.50, for a total value of $3,527,265.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 12,976 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,640,616. This trade represents a 57.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 3,371,914 shares of company stock valued at $685,305,594 over the last quarter. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More Arista Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The rack-scale launch could broaden Arista’s addressable market as hyperscalers seek flexible, interoperable Ethernet alternatives for AI clusters. Can Arista's New Rack-Scale Ethernet Solutions for AI Stoke Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary continues to identify ANET as a potential beneficiary of the AI infrastructure boom, with growing Ethernet demand from large cloud customers supporting the bullish outlook. Arista Networks Could Be a Key Winner From the AI Infrastructure Boom
• Positive Sentiment: Arista’s strong fundamentals reinforce the growth narrative: recent revenue rose 37.7% year over year to $3.04 billion, while quarterly EPS of $1.02 exceeded the $0.89 consensus estimate. Management has raised its 2026 sales outlook three times, citing AI customers.
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-market commentary describes the stock as being in a bullish trend and highlights spread trades for investors seeking shorter-term exposure, but this reflects trading sentiment rather than a change in Arista’s fundamentals. Arista Networks Stock In A Bull Trend Offers Spread Trade With A Fast Return
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a key risk. Arista trades at roughly 66 times earnings versus about 21 times for the S&P 500, leaving the stock vulnerable if AI-related growth slows, customer concentration weighs on results or margins come under pressure. Arista Stock Rises 64.7% YTD: Is There More Upside Ahead?
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 460,374 shares worth approximately $97.6 million, while CFO Chantelle Breithaupt sold 1,224 shares. Both transactions were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, reducing their significance as discretionary bearish signals but still adding selling pressure.

Arista Networks Profile

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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