Arista Networks, Inc. $ANET Stock: Russell Investments Group Ltd. Trims Stake

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its holdings in Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET) by 14.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,303,050 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 220,602 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.10% of Arista Networks worth $265,155,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Arista Networks Stock Up 5.1%

Shares of NYSE:ANET opened at $206.67 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $261.11 billion, a PE ratio of 55.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.61. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $192.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $166.84. Arista Networks, Inc. has a twelve month low of $114.52 and a twelve month high of $217.41.

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The technology company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.12. Arista Networks had a net margin of 39.97% and a return on equity of 32.20%. The company had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.75 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 58.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Top Arista Networks Stories

Investors following ANET have been watching these stories:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support is constructive: Piper Sandler’s James Fish called Arista a top pick, while KeyCorp raised earnings estimates and maintained an Overweight rating with a $250 target. A separate analyst-target survey indicated potential upside, though such targets are not guarantees. Piper Sandler’s Arista outlook KeyCorp estimate update
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage describes a rebound in AI and cloud-related stocks as a tailwind for Arista, but notes the rally is facing resistance amid volatile trading. Arista Q3 beat and market reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is a key concern after the strong run: one analysis asks whether the stock is overvalued despite improved guidance. Reports also flag substantial co-founder share sales; these may not necessarily signal a change in business outlook, but could weigh on sentiment. Arista valuation analysis Co-founder stock sales

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ANET has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Arista Networks from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 6th. BNP Paribas Exane raised Arista Networks to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 price target (up from $200.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $250.00 price objective on Arista Networks in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Arista Networks from $289.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $240.24.

Insider Transactions at Arista Networks

In other news, insider Kenneth Duda sold 26,000 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.42, for a total transaction of $4,820,920.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 452,400 shares in the company, valued at $83,884,008. This trade represents a 5.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 460,374 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.09, for a total transaction of $97,640,721.66. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,811,207 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,020,408,892.63. The trade was a 8.73% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 2,067,489 shares of company stock worth $406,340,373 in the last 90 days. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Arista Networks Company Profile

Arista Networks, Inc. develops software-driven networking products for large data centers, cloud environments, AI workloads, and enterprise campuses. Its offerings include Ethernet switches and routers, along with software and services for managing, monitoring, and securing networks. The company’s software portfolio includes its Extensible Operating System (EOS), which runs across its networking platforms, and CloudVision, a platform for network automation and management. Arista’s products are used by cloud providers, businesses, and other organizations to connect and manage computing infrastructure.