Shares of Arista Networks (ANET +8.87%) were moving higher today, although there was no clear catalyst for the move.
The jump comes one day after BNP Paribas called the networking specialist, which has benefited from the growth of AI, a top AI stock for 2026. Trading volume also spiked at the open, and volume was already above its three-month average by 11:20 a.m ET.
The stock started spiking around 8:30 a.m. ET in pre-market trading, and as of 11:22 a.m. ET, the stock was up 10.4%.
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What happened with Arista Networks today
Tech stocks were rising broadly as investors continued to breathe a sigh of relief after tensions cooled over Greenland, but that doesn't adequately explain the double-digit jump in Arista stock.
The company didn't issue any press releases or SEC filings, but did post on its X account about the upcoming European Advanced Networking Test Center (EANTC) event, touting its accomplishment last year, though this also doesn't seem like enough of a catalyst to explain today's boost.
Given the volume spike, it seems likely that a large investor made a significant purchase of Arista stock.
NYSE: ANET
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What's next for Arista
Arista has been a big winner in the AI era, and with the sector's continued growth, the company seems poised for more gains driven by demand for AI backend networking.
Arista has also been working closely with Anthropic, the AI start-up that just raised another $10 billion.
The catalyst behind today's jump may become clearer later on, but it may just be that some investors are positioning themselves for long-term bets on the stock.
