Arista Networks Rises on Buyback and Earnings as $830M Volume Ranks in Top 500 High-Traffic Stocks Amid Insider Sales

On August 15, 2025, Arista Networks (ANET) closed with a 0.60% gain, trading at $136.49 with a daily volume of $830 million. The stock’s 50-day and 200-day moving averages stood at $109.18 and $95.98, respectively, reflecting a strong upward trend. Institutional investors have shown renewed interest, with Deepwater Asset Management LLC increasing its stake by 7.8% to 153,013 shares, valued at $11.85 million. Other firms, including HighMark Wealth Management and Quarry LP, also raised positions, though in smaller quantities.

The company reported a 30.4% year-over-year revenue increase for its latest quarter, driven by robust demand for cloud networking solutions. Earnings per share reached $0.73, surpassing estimates of $0.65. Arista’s board authorized a $1.5 billion stock buyback program, signaling confidence in its undervalued shares. Analysts highlighted the buyback as a strategic move to enhance shareholder value, though the stock’s elevated P/E ratio of 53.68 and PEG ratio of 3.24 indicate mixed sentiment about its growth prospects.

Despite positive financials, insider selling raised caution. CEO Jayshree Ullal sold 1.785 million shares at an average price of $136.22, reducing her holdings by 23.86%. Over 90 days, insiders collectively sold 5.767 million shares worth $714 million. This activity, coupled with the stock’s beta of 1.37, suggests heightened volatility risks. Meanwhile, brokerages like Citigroup and UBS raised price targets to $136–$155, maintaining “buy” ratings, while Piper Sandler issued a “neutral” rating with a $143 target.

A backtested strategy of purchasing the top 500 high-volume stocks and holding for one day from 2022 to 2025 yielded a total profit of $10,720, with a cumulative return of 1.08 times the initial investment. The approach leveraged high trading volumes as a proxy for investor interest, though results reflect market dynamics rather than company-specific fundamentals.