Why Is Wall Street Obsessed With AI (Artificial Intelligence) Leader Arista Networks?

Key Points

• Arista Networks is a leading network platform provider.

• Several Wall Street analysts hiked their price targets on Arista Networks stock in July.

• Those on Main Street should investigate the company for themselves to see if it aligns with their investing goals.

• 10 stocks we like better than Arista Networks ›

We all have preferences. From our favorite movies to favorite places to eat to favorite places to visit, people love what they love. Wall Street is no different. Currently, analysts can't get enough of artificial intelligence (AI) stocks.

But of all the AI stocks on the Street's radar, Arista Networks (NYSE: ANET) is one AI name that analysts absolutely love. Let's take a look at the basis for this affection for one of the leading network platform providers.

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Enthusiasm for Arista Networks has heated up in July

While Arista Networks' stock received some upgrades in June, it's during July that Wall Street's enthusiasm has been clearly seen. Here are some of the analysts' more recent actions.

• JPMorgan boosted its price target to $130 from $117 on July 17.
• Citigroup hiked its price target to $123 from $112 on July 11.
• Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Arista Networks and assigned an outperform rating on July 7.

According to Thefly.com, JPMorgan predicated its new price target on the expectation that cloud spending will be strong in the second half of 2025, while Citigroup based its new price target on a growing Ethernet switching market.

Besides Wall Street, Arista Networks is growing increasingly popular with customers. The company's industry-leading switches are in high demand as data centers look to shore up their computing infrastructure to support AI computing. And demand for the company's networking solutions seems unlikely to taper off anytime soon.

During its first-quarter 2025 financial report, Arista Networks projected its total addressable market will rise from $41 billion in 2024 to $70 billion in 2028.

Is now a good time for Main Street investors to listen to Wall Street?

The enthusiasm that Wall Street has for Arista Networks is well warranted, but does that mean investors should rush to buy shares? The answer is a resounding No. Investors must -- as always -- do their own due diligence to see if Arista Networks is right for them, but for AI exposure, it certainly demands consideration.

Should you invest $1,000 in Arista Networks right now?

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Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Scott Levine has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Arista Networks and JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.