Melqart Asset Management UK Ltd Invests $6.71 Million in Arista Networks, Inc. $ANET

Melqart Asset Management UK Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 46,048 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,710,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Arista Networks by 321.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,806 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $863,000 after acquiring an additional 5,955 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arista Networks during the 4th quarter worth approximately $202,000. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arista Networks during the 4th quarter worth approximately $251,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Arista Networks by 48.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,723 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,097,000 after acquiring an additional 3,496 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Arista Networks by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 291,073 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,780,000 after acquiring an additional 5,815 shares during the period. 82.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arista Networks Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE ANET opened at $133.67 on Friday. Arista Networks, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $59.43 and a fifty-two week high of $164.94. The business has a fifty day moving average of $134.86 and a 200-day moving average of $137.30. The stock has a market cap of $167.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.46.

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The technology company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.38 billion. Arista Networks had a net margin of 38.99% and a return on equity of 30.37%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 2.2 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $188.00 price objective (up from $165.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Arista Networks from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $175.00 price target (up from $159.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $184.00 price target (up from $183.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Arista Networks in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $170.00 price objective on the stock. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Arista Networks news, Director Yvonne Wassenaar sold 1,815 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.44, for a total value of $240,378.60. Following the sale, the director directly owned 12,574 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,665,300.56. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kenneth Duda sold 32,000 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.44, for a total value of $4,558,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 12,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,848,301.44. This trade represents a 71.15% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 196,237 shares of company stock worth $25,865,760. 3.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Arista Networks News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Arista launched the XPO multi-source agreement and a 12.8 Tbps liquid‑cooled pluggable optics module that boosts rack density ~4x — this product is explicitly targeted at hyperscale AI data centers and could expand Arista’s addressable market and hardware ASPs. Arista Announces XPO High Density Liquid Cooled Pluggable Optics
• Positive Sentiment: CEO guidance and management commentary point to faster top‑line growth — management expects ~ $11B revenue in 2026 (vs ~$9B in 2025), reinforcing the AI-driven demand narrative. Arista (ANET) to Hit $11B in 2026 Revenues, $2B More Than 2025, Says CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Broker activity has turned constructive — TD Cowen initiated coverage with a Buy and $170 PT, and some outlets upgraded the stock citing accelerating AI networking demand and durable hyperscaler commitments. Those actions support upside vs. current levels. TD Cowen initiates Arista, Coherent and Ciena at buy
• Positive Sentiment: Independent upgrades highlight the stock’s breakout potential as valuation has contracted and FY2026 revenue is guided above ~25%, reinforcing the bullish case for longer-term multiple expansion if execution continues. Arista Networks: All Ready To Storm To New Highs (Upgrade)
• Neutral Sentiment: Technically, ANET is trading near its 50‑day moving average inside a base and is listed as an IBD Sector Leader — constructive technicals but not yet a confirmed breakout. Arista Holds Near Key Level As Outlook Brightens
• Negative Sentiment: Shares have pulled back and shown intraday weakness in recent sessions — short‑term volatility and profit‑taking are pressuring the stock despite positive headlines. Arista Networks (ANET) Declines More Than Market: Some Information for Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts note supply constraints and some gross‑margin pressure that could limit near‑term revenue upside despite strong bookings — a risk to quarterly cadence even as the multi‑year AI opportunity remains intact. Arista Networks: Why A Breakout Seems Likely (Rating Upgrade)

Arista Networks Company Profile

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.