North Dakota State Investment Board Makes New $4.64 Million Investment in Arista Networks, Inc. $ANET

Key Points

• North Dakota State Investment Board opened a new position in Arista Networks during the fourth quarter, buying 35,381 shares worth about $4.64 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high at 82.47%, and other funds have also been adding to Arista, while insiders have been selling shares in recent months, including notable sales by Kenneth Duda and Charles H. Giancarlo.
• Arista’s latest results were strong, with EPS of $0.87 beating estimates and revenue rising 35.1% year over year; analysts remain broadly bullish with an average Buy rating and price target of $181.84.

North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 35,381 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $4,636,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in Arista Networks during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in Arista Networks during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Arista Networks by 141.3% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 222 shares of the technology company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Arista Networks during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new position in Arista Networks during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 82.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Arista Networks

In other Arista Networks news, insider Kenneth Duda sold 32,000 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.31, for a total value of $5,225,920.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 12,976 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,119,110.56. This trade represents a 71.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Charles H. Giancarlo sold 8,000 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.40, for a total value of $1,403,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 208,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,541,608.20. This represents a 3.70% decrease in their position. 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 three months, insiders have sold 1,502,729 shares of company stock worth $246,707,719. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on ANET shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Arista Networks from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Arista Networks from $176.00 to $173.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on Arista Networks from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $195.00 target price (up from $184.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $181.84.

Arista Networks Price Performance

ANET opened at $141.98 on Monday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $144.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.51. Arista Networks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $83.86 and a 1 year high of $179.80. The company has a market capitalization of $178.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.67.

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The technology company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $2.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.65 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 35.1% on a year-over-year basis. Arista Networks has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.880-0.880 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 3.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Arista Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reuters-based 13-F filings show institutional investors added to or started positions in major AI infrastructure names, including Arista Networks, signaling continued professional buying interest in the company’s long-term AI networking story. Institutional investors boosted holdings of AI infrastructure plays during first quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James upgraded Arista to Outperform, citing share gains in AI-backend and campus networking, plus demand from major customers such as Meta Platforms and Microsoft. Arista upgraded to outperform as it gains share in AI-backend and campus: Raymond James
• Positive Sentiment: Truist said Arista’s post-earnings pullback may be an attractive buying opportunity, keeping the name on bullish watch lists as investors weigh strong underlying demand against near-term volatility. Truist Views Arista Networks (ANET)’s Post-Q1 Sell-Off As An Attractive Buying Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles compare Arista with other AI-related stocks and question whether the rally has already priced in much of the upside, which may be adding to investor caution after a strong multi-year run. Is It Too Late To Consider Arista Networks (ANET) After Strong Multi Year Share Gains?
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage notes Arista’s AI demand remains strong, but supply-chain constraints and margin pressure could limit near-term upside even as revenue guidance stays solid. AI-Fueled Demand Amid Supply Strains Might Change The Case For Investing In Arista Networks (ANET)
• Negative Sentiment: One analyst-style comparison argued Jabil looks stronger than Arista on valuation and AI data-center exposure, reflecting some relative-value skepticism toward ANET. Arista vs. Jabil: Which AI-Driven Tech Stock Looks Stronger Now?

About Arista Networks

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.

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