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    ANET
    Earnings call· Dec 2025(Q4 FY25)

    Arista Networks Q4 FY25 earnings call ANET

    Feb 12, 2026 Source

    Executive summary

    Arista Networks Q4 FY25 — Record Revenue and Raised FY26 AI Networking Guidance

    Arista Networks closed FY25 with record revenue, driven by strong demand in generative AI and cloud, and significantly raised its FY26 revenue and AI networking goals. Despite facing mounting supply chain allocations and exponentially rising component costs, particularly for memory, the company maintains its gross margin outlook. Arista continues to expand its customer base and product portfolio, focusing on both scale-up and scale-out AI networking solutions.

    Highlights

    5
    • Achieved record FY25 revenue of $9 billion, growing 28.6% year-over-year.

    • Exceeded strategic goals for FY25 with $800 million in campus/branch expansion and $1.5 billion in AI center networking.

    • Raised FY26 revenue guidance to $11.25 billion, representing 25% annual growth, and increased AI centers goal to $3.25 billion.

    • Reported Q4 FY25 revenue of $2.49 billion, up 28.9% year-over-year and above the high end of guidance.

    • Delivered over $1 billion in net income for the first time in Q4 FY25, with diluted EPS of $0.82, up 24.2% year-over-year.

    Concerns

    5
    • Q4 FY25 gross margin of 63.4% was down from 64.2% in the prior year due to a higher mix of sales to cloud and AI Titan customers.

    • DSOs increased to 70 days in Q4 FY25, up from 59 days in Q3, driven by renewals and timing of shipments.

    • Purchase commitments rose to $6.8 billion in Q4 FY25 from $4.8 billion in Q3, reflecting increased component pricing and lead times, particularly for memory.

    • Memory prices are described as "horrendous" and "exponentially higher," potentially leading to onetime price increases on selected SKUs.

    • The structural tax rate is expected to return to 21.5% in Q1 FY26, up from the seasonally lower 18.4% in Q4 FY25.

    Guidance & targets

    11
    CategoryTargetConfidence
    Full-year 2026 revenue growth
    25% annual growth
    high materiality
    High
    Full-year 2026 revenue
    $11.25 billion
    high materiality
    High
    Full-year 2026 campus revenue goal
    $1.25 billion
    medium materiality
    High
    Full-year 2026 AI centers revenue goal
    $3.25 billion
    high materiality
    High
    Full-year 2026 gross margin
    62% to 64%
    high materiality
    Medium
    Full-year 2026 operating margin
    approximately 46%
    high materiality
    High
    Q1 2026 revenue
    approximately $2.6 billion
    high materiality
    High
    Q1 2026 gross margin
    between 62% and 63%
    medium materiality
    High
    Q1 2026 operating margin
    approximately 46%
    medium materiality
    High
    Q1 2026 effective tax rate
    approximately 21.5%
    low materiality
    High
    Q1 2026 diluted shares
    approximately 1.275 billion
    low materiality
    High

    Segment performance

    7
    SegmentRevenueYoYQoQMargin
    Cloud and AI titans
    Contributed significantly to annual 2025 customer sector revenue.
    Contribution to annual 2025 customer sector revenue: 48%
    Enterprise and Financials
    Recorded strong performance in annual 2025 customer sector revenue.
    Contribution to annual 2025 customer sector revenue: 32%
    AI and Specialty providers (incl. Apple, Oracle, Neoclouds)
    Performed strongly in annual 2025 customer sector revenue.
    Contribution to annual 2025 customer sector revenue: 20%
    Core cloud, AI and data center products
    Driven by products built upon Arista EOS stack across 10 gig to 800 gigabit Ethernet speeds.
    Contribution to annual 2025 product lines revenue: 65%
    Network adjacencies (routing, cognitive AI-driven AVA campus)
    Includes investments in cognitive wired and wireless, zero-touch operation, network identity, scale and segmentation.
    Contribution to annual 2025 product lines revenue: 18%
    Network software and services (subscription models)
    Based on subscription models such as ACare, CloudVision, Observability, Advanced Security, and branch edge services; does not include perpetual software licenses.
    Contribution to annual 2025 product lines revenue: 17%
    International
    Increased quarter-over-quarter driven by stronger contribution from large global customers across international markets.
    Percentage of total revenue Q4 FY25: 21.2%Percentage of total revenue Q3 FY25: 20.2%Annual growth FY25: north of 40%
    $528.3 million

    Operational metrics

    41
    Revenue
    $9 billionup 28.6%
    FY25

    Record revenue for the fiscal year.

    Non-GAAP Gross Margin
    64.6%
    FY25

    Non-GAAP gross margin for the fiscal year.

    Non-GAAP Operating Margin
    48.2%
    FY25

    Non-GAAP operating margin for the fiscal year.

    Total Revenue
    $2.49 billionup 28.9% year-over-year
    Q4 FY25

    Above the upper end of guidance of $2.3 billion to $2.4 billion.

    Services and Subscription Software Revenue
    17.1%down from 18.7% in Q3
    Q4 FY25

    Reflects normalization following nonrecurring VeloCloud service renewal in prior quarter.

    Gross Margin
    63.4%down from 64.2% in prior year
    Q4 FY25

    Slightly above guidance of 62% to 63%; decrease due to higher mix of sales to cloud and AI Titan customers.

    Operating Expenses
    $397.1 millionup from $383.3 million last quarter
    Q4 FY25

    Total operating expenses for the quarter.

    R&D Spending
    $272.6 millionup from 10.9% last quarter
    Q4 FY25

    R&D spending for the quarter.

    R&D Spend
    approximately 11%
    FY25

    Fiscal year 2025 R&D spend.

    Sales and Marketing Expense
    $98.3 milliondown from $109.5 million last quarter
    Q4 FY25

    Sales and marketing expense for the quarter.

    Sales and Marketing Expense
    4.5%
    FY25

    Fiscal year 2025 sales and marketing expense, representative of efficient go-to-market model.

    G&A Costs
    $26.3 millionup from $22.4 million last quarter
    Q4 FY25

    G&A costs for the quarter, reflecting continued investment in systems and processes.

    G&A Expense
    1%
    FY25

    Fiscal year 2025 G&A expense.

    Operating Income
    $1.2 billion
    Q4 FY25

    Operating income for the quarter.

    Operating Income
    $4.3 billion
    FY25

    Operating income for the fiscal year.

    Other Income and Expense
    $102 million
    Q4 FY25

    Favorable other income and expense for the quarter.

    Effective Tax Rate
    18.4%
    Q4 FY25

    Lower-than-normal quarterly tax rate due to release of tax reserves from expiration of statute limitations.

    Net Income
    $1.05 billion
    Q4 FY25

    First time delivering over $1 billion in net income.

    Diluted Share Number
    1.276 billion
    Q4 FY25

    Diluted share number for the quarter.

    Diluted EPS
    $0.82up 24.2% from prior year
    Q4 FY25

    Diluted earnings per share for the quarter.

    Diluted EPS
    $2.9828.4% increase year-over-year
    FY25

    Diluted earnings per share for the fiscal year.

    Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities
    $10.74 billion
    Q4 FY25

    Balance at the end of the quarter.

    Stock Repurchases
    $620.1 million
    Q4 FY25

    Common stock repurchased during the quarter.

    Stock Repurchases
    $1.6 billion
    FY25

    Common stock repurchased during fiscal year 2025.

    Remaining Share Repurchase Authorization
    $817.9 million
    future quarters

    Remaining available from the $1.5 billion repurchase program approved in May 2025.

    DSOs
    70 daysup from 59 days in Q3
    Q4 FY25

    Driven by renewals and timing of shipments in the quarter.

    Inventory Turns
    1.5xup from 1.4x last quarter
    Q4 FY25

    Inventory turns for the quarter.

    Inventory
    $2.25 billionmarginally increased
    Q4 FY25

    Reflecting diligent inventory management across raw and finished goods.

    Product Deferred Revenue Increase
    approximately $469 million
    Q4 FY25

    Increase in product deferred revenue versus last quarter.

    Accounts Payable Days
    66 daysup from 55 days in Q3
    Q4 FY25

    Reflecting the timing of inventory receipts and payments.

    Capital Expenditures
    $37 million
    Q4 FY25

    Capital expenditures for the quarter.

    Cumulative Ports Shipped
    150 million
    Q4 FY25

    Surpassed in Q4 FY25.

    International Growth
    north of 40%annually
    FY25

    Growth in both Asia and Europe.

    Campus and Branch Expansion
    $800 million
    FY25

    Exceeded strategic goal.

    AI Center Networking
    $1.5 billion
    FY25

    Exceeded strategic goal.

    800-gig Adoption
    greater than 100cumulatively
    2025

    Excellent uptick in 800-gig adoption for Etherlink products.

    CloudVision Customers Added
    350
    Q4 FY25

    Added in the quarter, almost 1 new customer a day.

    CloudVision Customers Cumulative
    3,000
    past decade

    Aggregate number of customers deployed with CloudVision.

    Cumulative Customers
    north of 10,000
    current

    Total cumulative customers.

    Employees
    approximately 5,200
    exiting 2025

    Includes recent VeloCloud acquisition.

    Net Promoter Score
    93%
    current

    Highest in the industry.

    Industry KPIs

    9
    MetricValueDetails
    Capital return$620.1 millionUSD
    Customer concentration2customers
    Orders backlog quality3-6 monthsvisibility
    Ai cloud infrastructure orders$3.25 billionUSD
    Recurring software service revenue17.1%%
    Revenue mix by product customer type48%%
    Deferred revenue purchase commitments$5.4 billionUSD
    Design wins product cycle transitionsgreater than 100customers
    Front end vs back end scale up vs scale across m3families

    Orderbook & backlog

    2
    Purchase Commitments$6.8 billionQ4 FY25

    up from $4.8 billion at the end of Q3

    Mostly represents purchases for chips related to new products and AI deployments; subject to variability due to demand, component pricing, and lead times.

    Total Deferred Revenue Balance$5.4 billionQ4 FY25

    up from $4.7 billion in the prior quarter

    Majority is product related; product deferred revenue increased approximately $469 million versus last quarter; can move significantly quarterly due to customer-specific acceptance clauses and new product/customer/use case ramps.

    Product announcements

    4
    ProductTypeDetails
    Blue Box initiative (NetdI)launch
    7800 R4 spinelaunch
    ESUN specificationmilestone
    Ultra Ethernet Consortium 1.0 Specificationmilestone

    Deals & partnerships

    1
    VeloCloudacquisition

    Acquired in July 2025, driving a homogenous, secure client to branch to campus solution with unified management domains. Included in the approximately 5,200 employees exiting 2025.

    Capital programs

    1
    Santa Clara Facility Expansionunderway
    Period spend: approximately $100 million
    Start: October 2024

    Initial construction work began in October 2024, incurring approximately $100 million in CapEx during fiscal year 2025 for this project.

    Risks & headwinds

    5
    Supply Chain Allocation and Component Cost Increases2026 and multiple years beyond

    Memory prices are 'horrendous' and 'exponentially higher'; purchase commitments increased to $6.8 billion from $4.8 billion in Q3.

    Mitigation: Planning for it, increased purchase commitments, potential onetime price increases on selected memory-intensive SKUs.

    Customer ConcentrationFY25

    Customer A contributed 16% and Customer B contributed 26% of overall business in 2025.

    Mitigation: Anticipate a diversified customer base in 2026, including 1-2 additional 10% customers.

    Product Deferred Revenue VolatilityQuarterly

    Product deferred revenue increased approximately $469 million in Q4 FY25; balances can move significantly on a quarterly basis.

    Mitigation: Management notes this is due to new products, new customers, new use cases (including AI), and customer-specific acceptance clauses.

    Increase in Structural Tax RateQ1 FY26 onwards

    Expected to return to approximately 21.5% from 18.4% in Q4 FY25.

    Mitigation: None, it's a return to the usual historical rate.

    Increased Days Sales Outstanding (DSOs)Q4 FY25

    DSOs increased to 70 days in Q4 FY25, up from 59 days in Q3.

    Mitigation: Driven by renewals and the timing of shipments in the quarter, implying a temporary factor.

    Q&A highlights

    8

    What are the factors that would determine if Arista gains 1 or 2 additional 10% customers in 2026?

    Jayshree Ullal explained that variables such as deferred revenue acceptance criteria and timing, ongoing demand, and the ability to ship given supply chain constraints will influence whether these customers reach the 10% threshold. She expressed confidence in the demand but acknowledged the variables.

    Some of it may be sitting in deferred. So there's an acceptance criteria that we have to meet. And there's also timing associated with meeting the acceptance criteria. Some of it is demand that is still underway.

    asked by Meta Marshall · answered by Jayshree Ullal

    2 min read7 chapters

    Detailed Narrative

    01

    AI and Cloud Momentum Driving Growth

    Arista Networks achieved a record revenue of $9 billion in fiscal year 2025, representing 28.6% growth, significantly driven by the momentum in generative AI and cloud. The company surpassed 150 million cumulative ports shipped in Q4 2025, highlighting its expanding market presence. Arista is doubling its AI networking revenue from 2025 to a projected $3.25 billion in 2026, underscoring its pivotal role in the evolving AI infrastructure landscape.

    02

    Customer Segmentation and Diversification

    In fiscal year 2025, customer sector revenue was segmented with Cloud and AI titans contributing 48%, Enterprise and Financials 32%, and AI and Specialty providers (including Apple, Oracle, and emerging Neoclouds) 20%. Arista had two customers contributing over 10% of its business in 2025 (16% and 26% respectively). The company anticipates further diversification in 2026, expecting one to two additional 10% customers, reflecting broader adoption of its solutions.

    03

    Product Innovation and High-Speed Adoption

    Arista's core product portfolio, built on its EOS stack, supports 10 gig to 800 gigabit Ethernet speeds, with 1.6 terabit migration on the horizon. The company saw strong adoption of 800-gig products in 2025, gaining over 100 new customers for its Etherlink offerings. Arista is actively co-designing several AI rack systems, with 1.6T switching expected to emerge this year, positioning it at the forefront of next-generation networking.

    04

    Expanding Network Adjacencies and Software Offerings

    Network adjacencies, including routing and cognitive AI-driven AVA campus solutions, contributed approximately 18% of Arista's revenue in 2025, with a goal of $1.25 billion for the cognitive campus and branch in 2026. Subscription-based network services and software, such as ACare and CloudVision, accounted for about 17% of revenue, adding 350 CloudVision customers in Q4 2025 and reaching an aggregate of 3,000 customers over the past decade.

    05

    Strategic Response to Supply Chain and Component Costs

    Arista is navigating significant supply chain challenges🌐, including mounting allocation issues and rapidly increasing costs for memory and silicon fabrication. Memory prices have become "horrendous" and "exponentially higher" in 2026, leading to potential onetime price increases on selected memory-intensive SKUs. The company's purchase commitments increased to $6.8 billion in Q4 2025, reflecting proactive planning to secure components for new products and AI deployments.

    06

    AI Networking Strategy and Standards Leadership

    Arista is a founding member of Ethernet-based standards for both scale-up (ESUN) and scale-out (Ultra Ethernet Consortium 1.0) AI networking, emphasizing open standards over proprietary solutions. Its AI accelerated networking portfolio, featuring EtherLink spine-leaf fabric, is deployed across scale-up, scale-out, and scale-across networks, designed to optimize performance for both AI training (job completion time) and inference (time to first token) workloads.

    07

    Strong Customer Engagement and Market Position

    Arista's global customer base has grown to over 10,000 cumulative customers, with notable traction in the $1 million to $10 million customer categories. The company maintains an industry-leading Net Promoter Score of 93% and the lowest security vulnerabilities, reflecting high customer satisfaction and quality. This strong reputation is accelerating acceptance and adoption within the enterprise customer base.

    AI-generated summary of the company’s earnings call. Not investment advice.