AAPL vs. ANET: Apple vs. Arista Networks Stock Comparison

August 16, 2026

How do Apple (AAPL) and Arista Networks (ANET) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Apple (AAPL) and Arista Networks (ANET) both fall under the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group, but AAPL is classified in Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals while ANET is classified in Communications Equipment.

Company profile comparison for Apple (AAPL) and Arista Networks (ANET)
Profile Item	AAPL	ANET
Name	Apple Inc.	Arista Networks, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Technology Hardware & Equipment	Technology Hardware & Equipment
GICS Industry	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals	Communications Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals	Communications Equipment
Market Capitalization	4,464.80 billion USD	250.76 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	December 12, 1980	June 6, 2014
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AAPL

ANET

GSPC

Apple (AAPL) vs. Arista Networks (ANET), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Apple (AAPL) and Arista Networks (ANET). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Apple (AAPL) and Arista Networks (ANET). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Arista Networks (ANET)
Metric	AAPL	ANET
Total Return (1Y)	31.91%	45.68%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	20.00%	64.67%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	16.04%	54.27%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AAPL

ANET

GSPC

Apple (AAPL) vs. Arista Networks (ANET), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Apple (AAPL) and Arista Networks (ANET). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Arista Networks (ANET)
Metric	AAPL	ANET
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	24.99%	54.13%
Beta (5Y)	1.07	1.62
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-33.36%	-50.42%
Avg. Volume (3M)	55.84M	8.60M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AAPL and ANET are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Arista Networks (ANET)
Metric	AAPL	ANET
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.12	0.77
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.64	1.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Apple (AAPL) at 148.75% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Arista Networks (ANET) at 31.48% also sits in the top quartile.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

148.75%

AAPL: 148.75%
Max: 44.01%
Q3: 18.43%
Median: 10.41%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: -24.95%

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

31.48%

Max: 44.01%
ANET: 31.48%
Q3: 18.43%
Median: 10.41%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: -24.95%

Apple (AAPL) vs. Arista Networks (ANET): A comparison of their ROE against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Apple (AAPL) at 27.62% and Arista Networks (ANET) at 38.37% keep an unusually large share of revenue as bottom-line profit — each net margin clears its industry’s benchmark range.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

27.62%

AAPL: 27.62%
Max: 26.11%
Q3: 10.66%
Median: 3.40%
Q1: -0.39%
Min: -11.93%

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

38.37%

ANET: 38.37%
Max: 26.11%
Q3: 10.66%
Median: 3.40%
Q1: -0.39%
Min: -11.93%

Apple (AAPL) vs. Arista Networks (ANET): A comparison of their net margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Arista Networks (ANET) at 45.39% shows unusually strong operating efficiency — above its industry’s operating margin range — and Apple (AAPL) at 32.62% also operates in the top quartile.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

32.62%

Max: 36.90%
AAPL: 32.62%
Q3: 17.13%
Median: 7.40%
Q1: 2.09%
Min: -18.45%

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

45.39%

ANET: 45.39%
Max: 36.90%
Q3: 17.13%
Median: 7.40%
Q1: 2.09%
Min: -18.45%

Apple (AAPL) vs. Arista Networks (ANET): A comparison of their operating margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Arista Networks (ANET)
Metric	AAPL	ANET
ROE (TTM)	148.75%	31.48%
ROA (TTM)	27.08%	14.12%
Net Margin (TTM)	27.62%	38.37%
Operating Margin (TTM)	32.62%	45.39%
Gross Margin (TTM)	48.65%	63.00%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Arista Networks (ANET) at 28.60% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Apple (AAPL) at 6.43% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for ANET.

Apple (AAPL) vs. Arista Networks (ANET): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Apple (AAPL) at 22.70% and Arista Networks (ANET) at 23.32% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Apple (AAPL) vs. Arista Networks (ANET): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Arista Networks (ANET)
Metric	AAPL	ANET
Revenue Growth (YoY)	6.43%	28.60%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	1.81%	27.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)	22.70%	23.32%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	6.88%	37.08%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Arista Networks (ANET) at 2.96 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Apple (AAPL) at 1.00 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for AAPL.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.00

Max: 4.95
Q3: 3.05
Median: 1.99
Q1: 1.32
AAPL: 1.00
Min: 0.17

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

2.96

Max: 4.95
Q3: 3.05
ANET: 2.96
Median: 1.99
Q1: 1.32
Min: 0.17

Apple (AAPL) vs. Arista Networks (ANET): A comparison of their current ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Apple (AAPL) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78 against its industry range, while Arista Networks (ANET) reports no figure this period.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.78

Max: 1.80
Q3: 0.82
AAPL: 0.78
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

Max: 1.80
Q3: 0.82
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00
ANET: --

Apple (AAPL) vs. Arista Networks (ANET): ANET does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; AAPL is benchmarked against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Arista Networks (ANET)
Metric	AAPL	ANET
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.00	2.96
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.78	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.13	-2.88

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Arista Networks (ANET) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Apple (AAPL) reports a yield of 0.34%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.34%

Max: 0.74%
AAPL: 0.34%
Q3: 0.32%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 0.74%
Q3: 0.32%
ANET: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Apple (AAPL) vs. Arista Networks (ANET): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Arista Networks (ANET) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Apple (AAPL) reports a payout of 12.04%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

12.04%

Max: 34.91%
Q3: 14.28%
AAPL: 12.04%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 34.91%
Q3: 14.28%
ANET: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Apple (AAPL) vs. Arista Networks (ANET): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Arista Networks (ANET)
Metric	AAPL	ANET
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.34%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	12.04%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Apple (AAPL) at 35.08 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Arista Networks (ANET) at 62.92 sits in the richer quartile — ANET needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

35.08

Max: 106.10
Q3: 62.78
Median: 36.76
AAPL: 35.08
Q1: 22.85
Min: 11.58

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

62.92

Max: 106.10
ANET: 62.92
Q3: 62.78
Median: 36.76
Q1: 22.85
Min: 11.58

Apple (AAPL) vs. Arista Networks (ANET): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Apple (AAPL) at 9.56 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Arista Networks (ANET) at 23.79 prices even higher, above its industry range.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

9.56

Max: 17.14
AAPL: 9.56
Q3: 7.76
Median: 3.42
Q1: 1.39
Min: 0.00

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

23.79

ANET: 23.79
Max: 17.14
Q3: 7.76
Median: 3.42
Q1: 1.39
Min: 0.00

Apple (AAPL) vs. Arista Networks (ANET): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Arista Networks (ANET) at 16.95 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Apple (AAPL) at 41.57 prices even higher, above its industry range.

AAPL

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

41.57

AAPL: 41.57
Max: 17.63
Q3: 8.56
Median: 4.23
Q1: 2.14
Min: -1.92

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

16.95

Max: 17.63
ANET: 16.95
Q3: 8.56
Median: 4.23
Q1: 2.14
Min: -1.92

Apple (AAPL) vs. Arista Networks (ANET): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Apple (AAPL) and Arista Networks (ANET)
Metric	AAPL	ANET
P/E Ratio (TTM)	35.08	62.92
P/S Ratio (TTM)	9.56	23.79
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	41.57	16.95
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.41%	1.55%