ANET vs. CSCO: Arista Networks vs. Cisco Systems Stock Comparison

August 16, 2026

How do Arista Networks (ANET) and Cisco Systems (CSCO) 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

Arista Networks (ANET) and Cisco Systems (CSCO) are both classified in the Communications Equipment sub-industry within the broader Communications Equipment industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Arista Networks (ANET) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Profile Item	ANET	CSCO
Name	Arista Networks, Inc.	Cisco Systems, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Technology Hardware & Equipment	Technology Hardware & Equipment
GICS Industry	Communications Equipment	Communications Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Communications Equipment	Communications Equipment
Market Capitalization	250.76 billion USD	440.18 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	June 6, 2014	February 16, 1990
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ANET

CSCO

GSPC

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO), 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 Arista Networks (ANET) and Cisco Systems (CSCO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Arista Networks (ANET) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	ANET	CSCO
Total Return (1Y)	45.68%	64.49%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	64.67%	30.91%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	54.27%	17.86%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ANET

CSCO

GSPC

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO), 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 Arista Networks (ANET) and Cisco Systems (CSCO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Arista Networks (ANET) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	ANET	CSCO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	54.13%	34.10%
Beta (5Y)	1.62	1.00
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-50.42%	-36.68%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.60M	25.50M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ANET and CSCO 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 Arista Networks (ANET) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	ANET	CSCO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.77	1.77
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.12	2.61

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Arista Networks (ANET) at 31.48% and Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.32% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

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%

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

27.32%

Max: 44.01%
CSCO: 27.32%
Q3: 18.43%
Median: 10.41%
Q1: 0.66%
Min: -24.95%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Arista Networks (ANET) at 38.37% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 20.95% also retains a top-quartile share.

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%

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

20.95%

Max: 26.11%
CSCO: 20.95%
Q3: 10.66%
Median: 3.40%
Q1: -0.39%
Min: -11.93%

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): 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 Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 27.70% also operates in the top quartile.

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%

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

27.70%

Max: 36.90%
CSCO: 27.70%
Q3: 17.13%
Median: 7.40%
Q1: 2.09%
Min: -18.45%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Arista Networks (ANET) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	ANET	CSCO
ROE (TTM)	31.48%	27.32%
ROA (TTM)	14.12%	7.98%
Net Margin (TTM)	38.37%	20.95%
Operating Margin (TTM)	45.39%	27.70%
Gross Margin (TTM)	63.00%	64.56%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Arista Networks (ANET) at 28.60% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 5.30% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for ANET.

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Arista Networks (ANET) at 23.32% and Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 2.76% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Arista Networks (ANET) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	ANET	CSCO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	28.60%	5.30%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	27.15%	3.19%
EPS Growth (YoY)	23.32%	2.76%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	37.08%	-2.55%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Arista Networks (ANET) at 2.96 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 0.93 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CSCO.

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

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.93

Max: 4.95
Q3: 3.05
Median: 1.99
Q1: 1.32
CSCO: 0.93
Min: 0.17

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): 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: Cisco Systems (CSCO) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59 against its industry range, while Arista Networks (ANET) reports no figure this period.

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

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

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.59

Max: 1.80
Q3: 0.82
CSCO: 0.59
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Arista Networks (ANET) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	ANET	CSCO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.96	0.93
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	0.59
Net Debt / EBITDA	-2.88	0.73

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 Cisco Systems (CSCO) reports a yield of 1.46%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.46%

CSCO: 1.46%
Max: 0.74%
Q3: 0.32%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. Cisco Systems (CSCO): 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 Cisco Systems (CSCO) reports a payout of 49.85%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

49.85%

CSCO: 49.85%
Max: 34.91%
Q3: 14.28%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Arista Networks (ANET) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	ANET	CSCO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	1.46%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	49.85%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 34.15 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.

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

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

34.15

Max: 106.10
Q3: 62.78
Median: 36.76
CSCO: 34.15
Q1: 22.85
Min: 11.58

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 6.95 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Arista Networks (ANET) at 23.79 clears its benchmark range — ANET looks notably rich on sales.

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

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

6.95

Max: 17.14
Q3: 7.76
CSCO: 6.95
Median: 3.42
Q1: 1.39
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Arista Networks (ANET) at 16.95 and Cisco Systems (CSCO) at 9.01 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

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

CSCO

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

9.01

Max: 17.63
CSCO: 9.01
Q3: 8.56
Median: 4.23
Q1: 2.14
Min: -1.92

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Arista Networks (ANET) and Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Metric	ANET	CSCO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	62.92	34.15
P/S Ratio (TTM)	23.79	6.95
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	16.95	9.01
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.55%	2.63%