Arista Networks Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:ANET)

Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders bought 44,291 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 74% compared to the average volume of 25,502 call options.

Arista Networks Stock Performance

NYSE ANET opened at $140.96 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $132.65 and its 200 day moving average is $136.71. Arista Networks has a fifty-two week low of $59.43 and a fifty-two week high of $164.94. The company has a market capitalization of $177.51 billion, a PE ratio of 53.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.42.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ANET has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Arista Networks in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Arista Networks from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $159.00 in a research note on Monday, January 5th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $183.00 price target (up from $179.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Arista Networks from $171.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $166.00.

Key Stories Impacting Arista Networks

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are broadly upbeat ahead of fiscal Q4 results, forecasting roughly mid-teens earnings growth — a view that supports upside if Arista posts solid guidance. Arista Networks Q4 preview: Analysts bullish ahead of results as earnings seen rising 17%
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst commentary compiled by outlets shows continued strong sentiment heading into Q4 results, reinforcing expectations that guidance and AI/datacenter demand remain the key catalysts. Analyst Sentiment on Arista Networks (ANET) Remains Strong Ahead of Fiscal Q4 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt raised its price target from $140 to $165 (still a “neutral” rating), implying notable upside potential from current levels — this lift in Street targets can support the stock if earnings meet expectations. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: An upgrade from a ratings source highlighted Arista as a leader in networking ahead of Q4 results, which can buoy sentiment if the company reaffirms AI-driven demand trends. Arista Networks No. 1 in its industry; gets rating upgrade with Q4 earnings due Thursday
• Positive Sentiment: Increased options activity: about 44,291 call contracts traded (≈74% above typical call volume), signaling short-term speculative bullish bets that could amplify moves ahead of earnings or news.
• Positive Sentiment: Inclusion on lists of top cloud/computing stocks (alongside GOOGL, MSFT, IBM) highlights Arista’s role in digital transformation themes that attract longer-term investors. Buy 4 Cloud Computing Stocks as Digital Transformation Gains Traction
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noted Arista’s growth tie to AI data centers but flagged new execution and macro risks tied to AI cycles and competitive dynamics — this is a mixed signal that could generate volatility depending on earnings tone. Arista Networks Ties Growth To AI Data Centers Amid New Risks

Insider Buying and Selling at Arista Networks

In related news, Director Kelly Bodnar Battles sold 422 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.15, for a total transaction of $49,437.30. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,980 shares in the company, valued at $1,052,007. This represents a 4.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Kenneth Duda sold 26,000 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.43, for a total value of $3,339,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 522,400 shares in the company, valued at $67,091,832. This trade represents a 4.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 216,464 shares of company stock valued at $27,553,548. Insiders own 3.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Arista Networks

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in shares of Arista Networks by 2,118.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 244 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in Arista Networks during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its position in shares of Arista Networks by 56.7% in the third quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 199 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Arista Networks in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Arista Networks in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 82.47% of the company’s stock.

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.