New York, January 9, 2026, 21:14 EST — Market closed.
- Arista Networks shares slipped 0.7% Friday, underperforming the wider tech sector’s gains.
- The stock fell sharply on Thursday, moving further away from its recent high.
- Coming next: U.S. CPI on Jan. 13, followed by Arista’s earnings on Feb. 16.
Arista Networks, Inc. shares slipped 0.7% to close at $122.89 on Friday, while the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF gained 1.0%. The drop puts Arista firmly in focus as Monday’s trading approaches.
Arista’s stock slipped 4.89% Thursday, sitting roughly 25% below its 52-week peak, according to MarketWatch data. The company, which brands itself as a “client-to-cloud” networking provider for AI, data centers, and campuses, has become a key indicator for data-center networking spending linked to AI buildouts—a sector known for swift shifts in hardware stocks. 1
Rate bets are factoring in the latest data. U.S. payrolls increased by 50,000 in December, missing the 60,000 forecast, while the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.4%, according to a Reuters report; “it gives the Fed the ability to cut rates,” said Adam Sarhan, CEO of 50 Park Investments. 2
Analysts are pushing the spotlight back onto demand. “The market is not accurately reflecting” AI infrastructure demand in 2026 and 2027 estimates for Arista, UBS analyst David Vogt said in a note cited by MarketWatch. 3
Peers ended Friday on a mixed note. Cisco Systems dipped 0.1%, Ciena surged 2.5%, while Nvidia remained mostly flat.
Traders are eyeing the week’s lows on the chart. Arista’s shares ranged from $121.90 to $124.83 on Friday, after hitting $122.81 the previous day, according to StockAnalysis.com data. 4
Arista’s next major event is its earnings release, set for Feb. 16 after market close. Analysts expect an EPS of $0.76, according to TipRanks. 5
But the risk is clear: the stock already factors in a lot of positive news. If hyperscalers — major cloud providers running massive data centers — start delaying orders or if competition intensifies, guidance could take a hit and volatility could stay elevated.
Before Arista’s earnings, markets face a key macro update Tuesday. The Labor Department is set to release December’s U.S. consumer price index at 8:30 a.m. ET on Jan. 13.
