Arista Networks, Inc. $ANET Stock Bought by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

Key Points

• Institutional ownership increased significantly: First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. raised its Arista Networks stake by 1,401.6% to 38,532 shares worth approximately $7.8 million. Overall, institutional investors own 82.47% of the company.
• Business momentum remains strong: Arista reported 37.7% year-over-year revenue growth to $3.04 billion and EPS of $1.02, beating estimates. Analysts maintain a broadly positive view, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $235.45.
• Valuation and insider selling are key risks: The stock trades at a P/E ratio above 64, while insiders sold roughly $740.8 million of shares over the past three months, potentially adding pressure after the stock’s substantial gains.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET - Free Report) by 1,401.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,532 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 35,966 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in Arista Networks were worth $7,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Focus Financial Network Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Arista Networks by 1,711.6% during the third quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 54,365 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $11,068,000 after purchasing an additional 51,364 shares during the last quarter. Q Fund Management Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Arista Networks during the 3rd quarter valued at $5,945,000. Define Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Arista Networks during the 3rd quarter valued at $736,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Arista Networks by 762.3% in the 3rd quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 8,821 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,796,000 after purchasing an additional 7,798 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ulland Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arista Networks in the 3rd quarter worth $242,000. 82.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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-scale AI workloads. The launch reinforces the company’s position in high-density data-center networking and could expand its addressable market. Arista Networks Stock Dropped, What Is Behind the Fresh Attention?
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank maintained a Buy rating and slightly raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $3.79 and FY2027 estimate to $4.74. The modest increases support the view that earnings growth remains intact.
• Positive Sentiment: Reports indicate Arista raised its revenue outlook for the third time this year, while non-cancellable purchase commitments rose 2.7 times to $9.7 billion. That suggests strong demand and improved revenue visibility. Arista Networks Prospects and Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Arista’s latest quarterly results were strong, with revenue up 37.7% year over year to $3.04 billion and EPS of $1.02 versus the $0.89 consensus. However, the stock trades at an elevated valuation, with a P/E ratio above 64, leaving it sensitive to profit-taking and changes in growth expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 130,553 shares for approximately $28.3 million on October 9 and another 27,990 shares for about $6.1 million on October 8. Both transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, and Ullal still owns roughly 4.8 million shares, but the repeated sales may weigh on sentiment after ANET approached its 52-week high. Arista Networks CEO Sells Shares
• Negative Sentiment: The shares recently declined more than 3% and underperformed the broader market, suggesting investors may be locking in gains following substantial year-to-date appreciation. The combination of high valuation and insider selling is likely contributing to the pressure.

Insider Buying and Selling at Arista Networks

In related news, major shareholder Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 300,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 181,143,048 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $36,826,381,658.40. This trade represents a 0.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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. Also, CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 767,029 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,297,589,536.82. This represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 3,627,449 shares of company stock worth $740,784,723 in the last three months. Insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ANET has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $248.00 target price (up from $215.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Thursday, October 8th. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 price target (up from $200.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on Arista Networks from $210.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $240.00 price target (up from $181.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Arista Networks in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $235.45.

Arista Networks Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ANET opened at $204.34 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $257.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 64.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.60. Arista Networks, Inc. has a 1-year low of $114.52 and a 1-year high of $217.41. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $198.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $173.36.

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.83 billion. Arista Networks had a net margin of 38.37% and a return on equity of 30.65%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.73 earnings per share. 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 fiscal year.

Arista Networks Company 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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