Key Points
- Andreas Bechtolsheim, Arista Networks’ major shareholder, sold 240,000 shares on July 2 at an average price of $162.67, totaling about $39.0 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
- This is part of a broader pattern of insider selling, with Bechtolsheim having sold several large blocks of Arista stock in recent weeks. Despite the sales, he still owns 182 million+ shares, worth roughly $29.6 billion.
- Arista Networks remains financially strong, recently beating earnings expectations and posting 35.1% revenue growth year over year. Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus rating of Buy and a price target around $187.63.
Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET - Get Free Report) major shareholder Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 240,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.67, for a total transaction of $39,040,800.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 182,043,048 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,612,942,618.16. This represents a 0.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company's shares 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 shares were 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 stock was 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 transaction of $34,744,600.00.
- On Thursday, June 4th, Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 240,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.06, for a total transaction of $39,134,400.00.
- On Tuesday, May 26th, Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 220,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.86, for a total transaction of $34,509,200.00.
- On Friday, May 22nd, Andreas Bechtolsheim sold 205,000 shares of Arista Networks stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.74, for a total transaction of $31,106,700.00.
Arista Networks Trading Down 4.2%
Shares of NYSE:ANET opened at $166.03 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $209.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.60. Arista Networks, Inc. has a 1 year low of $100.94 and a 1 year high of $179.80. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $158.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $144.68.
Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The technology company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 in the previous year, the company posted $0.65 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 3.27 EPS for the current year.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of analysts have issued reports on ANET shares. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Arista Networks from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $181.00 price target (up from $175.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Truist Financial set a $175.00 price target on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (up from $178.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Arista Networks from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $187.63.
Get Our Latest Report on Arista Networks
Key Stories Impacting Arista Networks
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
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westmount Partners LLC bought a new stake in Arista Networks during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $201,000. 55 North Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Arista Networks by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. 55 North Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,201 shares of the technology company's stock worth $374,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Byrne Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Arista Networks during the second quarter worth approximately $63,000. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Arista Networks by 5.3% in the second quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,733 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,843,000 after acquiring an additional 842 shares during the period. Finally, Foster Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Arista Networks by 81.0% in the second quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 3,737 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $635,000 after acquiring an additional 1,672 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.47% of the company's stock.
Arista Networks Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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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