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Arista (ANET) Beats Q4 Earnings Estimates on Solid Revenues
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Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET - Free Report) reported strong fourth-quarter 2022 results, wherein both the bottom and the top lines beat the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate, driven by solid demand trends and healthy customer additions. Adjusted earnings and revenues also improved year over year.
Net Income
On a GAAP basis, net income in the reported quarter improved to $427.1 million or $1.35 per share from $239.3 million or 75 cents per share in the prior-year quarter, primarily driven by top-line growth.
Excluding non-recurring items, non-GAAP net income was $445.1 million or $1.41 per share compared with $262.4 million or 82 cents per share in the year-ago quarter. The bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 20 cents.
In 2022, Arista recorded GAAP net income of $1,352.4 million or $4.27 per share compared with $840.9 million or $2.63 per share in 2021. Non-GAAP net income in 2022 improved to $1,448.3 million or $4.58 per share from $915 million or $2.87 per share in 2021.
Arista Networks, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Despite supply chain disruptions, total revenues soared 54.7% year over year to $1,275.6 million. The top line surpassed the company’s guidance of $1,175-$1,200 million and exceeded the consensus estimate of $1,196 million. The solid revenues were primarily led by healthy customer additions and growth in the enterprise vertical. In 2022, total revenues were up to $4,381.3 million from $2,948 million in 2021.
Arista generated 76.3% of total quarterly revenues from the Americas and the remainder from international operations. Product revenues increased to $1,096.9 million from $668 million on healthy traction from existing products and the ramp-up of newer ones with the launch of various products. Service revenues grew to $178.7 million from $156.5 million, supported by renewals and subscriptions. Cloud titans were the largest in terms of the vertical mix, followed by enterprise, specialty cloud providers, financials and service providers. The company maintained its leading position in 100, 200 and 400-gig switching and achieved solid market control in client to cloud networking domain.
Other Details
Non-GAAP gross profit improved to $778.5 million from $530.4 million for respective margins of 61% and 64.3%. The non-GAAP gross margin was at the mid-point of the company’s guidance of 60-62%, reflecting healthy software and services mix.
Total operating expenses increased to $299.7 million from $256.9 million in the prior-year quarter, owing to higher R&D costs, increased variable compensation and other headcount-related charges. Non-GAAP operating income increased to $543.2 million from $324.2 million in the year-ago quarter, with corresponding margins of 42.6% and 39.3%, respectively.
With improved customer demand and order visibility, the company is taking decisive steps to improve inventory levels and manufacturing capacity to negate supply-chain headwinds. Fourth-quarter inventory was up to 1.3 billion from 1.1 billion in the prior quarter as it maintained buffer levels for certain components and products.
Cash Flow & Liquidity
In 2022, Arista generated $492.8 million of net cash from operating activities compared with $1,015.9 million a year ago. As of Dec 31, 2022, the cloud networking company had $671.7 million in cash and cash equivalents. Arista repurchased shares worth $2.8 million during the quarter. In 2022, the company bought 6.5 million shares for $670 million at an average price of $104 per share.
Q1 View
Arista is increasingly offering a software-driven, data-centric approach to help customers build cloud architecture and augment their cloud experience. The company is increasingly gaining market traction in 100-, 200- and 400-gig high-performance switching products and remains well-positioned for healthy growth in data-driven cloud networking business with proactive platforms and predictive operations. Arista expects continued growth within its enterprise vertical in the forthcoming quarters, with customer mix being the key driver. For the first quarter of 2023, it expects revenues of $1,275-$1,325 million. It anticipates a non-GAAP gross margin of 60% and a non-GAAP operating margin of 40%.
Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV - Free Report) , carrying a Zacks Rank #2, is another key pick. Headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, Viavi is a leading provider of network test, monitoring and service enablement solutions to diverse sectors across the globe. The product portfolio of the company offers end-to-end network visibility and analytics that help build, test, certify, maintain, and optimize complex physical and virtual networks.
Viavi also offers high-performance thin film optical coatings for light-management solutions used in anti-counterfeiting, 3D sensing, electronics, automotive, defense and instrumentation markets. It delivered an earnings surprise of 9.1%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.
Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI - Free Report) carries a Zacks Rank #2. It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 9% and delivered an earnings surprise of 6.6%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.
As a leading provider of mission-critical communication products and services worldwide, Motorola has ensured a steady revenue stream from this niche market. The communications equipment maker intends to boost its position in the public safety domain by entering into strategic alliances with other players in the ecosystem.
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (CMTL - Free Report) , carrying a Zacks Rank #2, is another key pick. Headquartered in Melville, NY, the company is a leading global provider of next-generation 911 emergency systems and secure wireless communications technologies to commercial and government customers.
Comtech’s key satellite earth station modems incorporate forward error correction and bandwidth compression technologies, which enable its customers to optimize their satellite networks by either reducing their satellite transponder lease costs or increasing data throughput. It holds leadership positions in the market for high-throughput modems used in cellular backhaul.
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Arista (ANET) Beats Q4 Earnings Estimates on Solid Revenues
Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET - Free Report) reported strong fourth-quarter 2022 results, wherein both the bottom and the top lines beat the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate, driven by solid demand trends and healthy customer additions. Adjusted earnings and revenues also improved year over year.
Net Income
On a GAAP basis, net income in the reported quarter improved to $427.1 million or $1.35 per share from $239.3 million or 75 cents per share in the prior-year quarter, primarily driven by top-line growth.
Excluding non-recurring items, non-GAAP net income was $445.1 million or $1.41 per share compared with $262.4 million or 82 cents per share in the year-ago quarter. The bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 20 cents.
In 2022, Arista recorded GAAP net income of $1,352.4 million or $4.27 per share compared with $840.9 million or $2.63 per share in 2021. Non-GAAP net income in 2022 improved to $1,448.3 million or $4.58 per share from $915 million or $2.87 per share in 2021.
Arista Networks, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Arista Networks, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Arista Networks, Inc. Quote
Revenues
Despite supply chain disruptions, total revenues soared 54.7% year over year to $1,275.6 million. The top line surpassed the company’s guidance of $1,175-$1,200 million and exceeded the consensus estimate of $1,196 million. The solid revenues were primarily led by healthy customer additions and growth in the enterprise vertical. In 2022, total revenues were up to $4,381.3 million from $2,948 million in 2021.
Arista generated 76.3% of total quarterly revenues from the Americas and the remainder from international operations. Product revenues increased to $1,096.9 million from $668 million on healthy traction from existing products and the ramp-up of newer ones with the launch of various products. Service revenues grew to $178.7 million from $156.5 million, supported by renewals and subscriptions. Cloud titans were the largest in terms of the vertical mix, followed by enterprise, specialty cloud providers, financials and service providers. The company maintained its leading position in 100, 200 and 400-gig switching and achieved solid market control in client to cloud networking domain.
Other Details
Non-GAAP gross profit improved to $778.5 million from $530.4 million for respective margins of 61% and 64.3%. The non-GAAP gross margin was at the mid-point of the company’s guidance of 60-62%, reflecting healthy software and services mix.
Total operating expenses increased to $299.7 million from $256.9 million in the prior-year quarter, owing to higher R&D costs, increased variable compensation and other headcount-related charges. Non-GAAP operating income increased to $543.2 million from $324.2 million in the year-ago quarter, with corresponding margins of 42.6% and 39.3%, respectively.
With improved customer demand and order visibility, the company is taking decisive steps to improve inventory levels and manufacturing capacity to negate supply-chain headwinds. Fourth-quarter inventory was up to 1.3 billion from 1.1 billion in the prior quarter as it maintained buffer levels for certain components and products.
Cash Flow & Liquidity
In 2022, Arista generated $492.8 million of net cash from operating activities compared with $1,015.9 million a year ago. As of Dec 31, 2022, the cloud networking company had $671.7 million in cash and cash equivalents. Arista repurchased shares worth $2.8 million during the quarter. In 2022, the company bought 6.5 million shares for $670 million at an average price of $104 per share.
Q1 View
Arista is increasingly offering a software-driven, data-centric approach to help customers build cloud architecture and augment their cloud experience. The company is increasingly gaining market traction in 100-, 200- and 400-gig high-performance switching products and remains well-positioned for healthy growth in data-driven cloud networking business with proactive platforms and predictive operations. Arista expects continued growth within its enterprise vertical in the forthcoming quarters, with customer mix being the key driver. For the first quarter of 2023, it expects revenues of $1,275-$1,325 million. It anticipates a non-GAAP gross margin of 60% and a non-GAAP operating margin of 40%.
Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider
Arista currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Viavi Solutions Inc. (VIAV - Free Report) , carrying a Zacks Rank #2, is another key pick. Headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, Viavi is a leading provider of network test, monitoring and service enablement solutions to diverse sectors across the globe. The product portfolio of the company offers end-to-end network visibility and analytics that help build, test, certify, maintain, and optimize complex physical and virtual networks.
Viavi also offers high-performance thin film optical coatings for light-management solutions used in anti-counterfeiting, 3D sensing, electronics, automotive, defense and instrumentation markets. It delivered an earnings surprise of 9.1%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.
Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI - Free Report) carries a Zacks Rank #2. It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 9% and delivered an earnings surprise of 6.6%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.
As a leading provider of mission-critical communication products and services worldwide, Motorola has ensured a steady revenue stream from this niche market. The communications equipment maker intends to boost its position in the public safety domain by entering into strategic alliances with other players in the ecosystem.
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (CMTL - Free Report) , carrying a Zacks Rank #2, is another key pick. Headquartered in Melville, NY, the company is a leading global provider of next-generation 911 emergency systems and secure wireless communications technologies to commercial and government customers.
Comtech’s key satellite earth station modems incorporate forward error correction and bandwidth compression technologies, which enable its customers to optimize their satellite networks by either reducing their satellite transponder lease costs or increasing data throughput. It holds leadership positions in the market for high-throughput modems used in cellular backhaul.