ANET vs. FFIV: Arista Networks vs. F5 Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Arista Networks (ANET) and F5 (FFIV) 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 F5 (FFIV) 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 F5 (FFIV)
Profile Item	ANET	FFIV
Name	Arista Networks Inc.	F5, 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	215.79 billion USD	17.66 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	June 6, 2014	June 4, 1999
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ANET

FFIV

GSPC

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. F5 (FFIV), 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 F5 (FFIV). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Arista Networks (ANET) and F5 (FFIV). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Arista Networks (ANET) and F5 (FFIV)
Metric	ANET	FFIV
Total Return (1Y)	38.40%	30.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	52.15%	27.03%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	41.19%	7.22%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ANET

FFIV

GSPC

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. F5 (FFIV), 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 F5 (FFIV). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Arista Networks (ANET) and F5 (FFIV)
Metric	ANET	FFIV
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	56.66%	40.81%
Beta (5Y)	1.60	1.09
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-50.42%	-47.42%
Avg. Volume (3M)	6.09M	692.80K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ANET and FFIV 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 F5 (FFIV)
Metric	ANET	FFIV
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.60	0.63
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.87	0.84

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Arista Networks (ANET) at 33.52% sits in the top ROE quartile, while F5 (FFIV) at 19.01% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for ANET.

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

33.52%

Max: 42.47%
ANET: 33.52%
Q3: 19.13%
Median: 11.00%
Q1: 1.63%
Min: -20.62%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

19.01%

Max: 42.47%
Q3: 19.13%
FFIV: 19.01%
Median: 11.00%
Q1: 1.63%
Min: -20.62%

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their ROE against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Arista Networks (ANET) at 39.97% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and F5 (FFIV) at 21.14% also retains a top-quartile share.

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

39.97%

ANET: 39.97%
Max: 27.60%
Q3: 11.66%
Median: 4.08%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -11.02%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

21.14%

Max: 27.60%
FFIV: 21.14%
Q3: 11.66%
Median: 4.08%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -11.02%

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their net margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Arista Networks (ANET) at 44.90% shows unusually strong operating efficiency — above its industry’s operating margin range — and F5 (FFIV) at 23.99% also operates in the top quartile.

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

44.90%

ANET: 44.90%
Max: 36.27%
Q3: 18.36%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

23.99%

Max: 36.27%
FFIV: 23.99%
Q3: 18.36%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their operating margin against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Arista Networks (ANET) and F5 (FFIV)
Metric	ANET	FFIV
ROE (TTM)	33.52%	19.01%
ROA (TTM)	15.04%	7.74%
Net Margin (TTM)	39.97%	21.14%
Operating Margin (TTM)	44.90%	23.99%
Gross Margin (TTM)	62.88%	81.98%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Arista Networks (ANET) reports revenue growth of 28.60%, ranked against its industry; F5 (FFIV) has no revenue growth figure this period.

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Arista Networks (ANET) at 23.32% and F5 (FFIV) at 6.10% 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. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Arista Networks (ANET) and F5 (FFIV)
Metric	ANET	FFIV
Revenue Growth (YoY)	28.60%	--
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	27.15%	--
EPS Growth (YoY)	23.32%	6.10%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	37.08%	24.10%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

F5 (FFIV) at 1.73 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Arista Networks (ANET) at 3.29 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

3.29

Max: 5.34
ANET: 3.29
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
Q1: 1.32
Min: 0.17

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.73

Max: 5.34
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
FFIV: 1.73
Q1: 1.32
Min: 0.17

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. F5 (FFIV): 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: F5 (FFIV) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05 against its industry range, while Arista Networks (ANET) reports no figure this period.

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

Max: 1.76
Q3: 0.78
Median: 0.24
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.01
ANET: --

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.05

Max: 1.76
Q3: 0.78
Median: 0.24
FFIV: 0.05
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.01

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. F5 (FFIV): ANET does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; FFIV is benchmarked against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Arista Networks (ANET) and F5 (FFIV)
Metric	ANET	FFIV
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.29	1.73
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	0.05
Net Debt / EBITDA	-2.71	-1.49

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Arista Networks (ANET) nor F5 (FFIV) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 0.73%
Q3: 0.31%
ANET: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 0.73%
Q3: 0.31%
FFIV: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither Arista Networks (ANET) nor F5 (FFIV) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 32.27%
Q3: 14.48%
ANET: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 32.27%
Q3: 14.48%
FFIV: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Arista Networks (ANET) and F5 (FFIV)
Metric	ANET	FFIV
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

F5 (FFIV) at 24.83 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Arista Networks (ANET) at 45.79 sits in the richer quartile — ANET needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

45.79

Max: 69.48
ANET: 45.79
Q3: 41.02
Median: 26.39
Q1: 19.36
Min: 6.07

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

24.83

Max: 69.48
Q3: 41.02
Median: 26.39
FFIV: 24.83
Q1: 19.36
Min: 6.07

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

F5 (FFIV) at 5.17 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Arista Networks (ANET) at 18.15 clears its benchmark range — ANET looks notably rich on sales.

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

18.15

ANET: 18.15
Max: 11.30
Q3: 5.82
Median: 2.56
Q1: 1.05
Min: 0.00

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

5.17

Max: 11.30
Q3: 5.82
FFIV: 5.17
Median: 2.56
Q1: 1.05
Min: 0.00

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

F5 (FFIV) at 4.41 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Arista Networks (ANET) at 13.12 prices above its benchmark range — ANET looks rich relative to book.

ANET

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

13.12

ANET: 13.12
Max: 10.75
Q3: 5.52
Median: 3.17
Q1: 1.79
Min: 0.33

FFIV

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

4.41

Max: 10.75
Q3: 5.52
FFIV: 4.41
Median: 3.17
Q1: 1.79
Min: 0.33

Arista Networks (ANET) vs. F5 (FFIV): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Arista Networks (ANET) and F5 (FFIV)
Metric	ANET	FFIV
P/E Ratio (TTM)	45.79	24.83
P/S Ratio (TTM)	18.15	5.17
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	13.12	4.41
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.39%	3.63%