Arista Networks, Inc. vs WESTERN DIGITAL CORPORATION, two Computer Hardware stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
The margin ladder here is unusual: Western Digital's 40.7% net margin currently tops Arista's 38.3%, a drive maker out-earning a networking franchise at the bottom line, which happens only at the top of a storage cycle. The operating lines sit at 35.7% and 42.7%, restoring the expected order. The multiples split hard anyway, 34.5 times Western Digital against 54.2 times Arista, because the market prices what persists rather than what printed last quarter. Arista runs debt-free; WDC carries a modest 0.33. Read together: the cyclical earns like a franchise and is priced like a cyclical, while the franchise is priced like a franchise. The dateline is doing real work in that sentence.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | ANET | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $157.71 | $578.52 |
| Market cap | $200.9B | $223.9B |
| Sector | Computer Hardware | Computer Hardware |
| Stage | Growth | Growth |
| P/E | 54.2 | 34.5 |
| P/B | 14.90 | 23.13 |
| P/S | 20.69 | 19.01 |
| EV/EBITDA | 46.8 | 61.5 |
| Revenue growth | +30.5% | +32.0% |
| Gross margin | 61.9% | 50.2% |
| Operating margin | 42.7% | 35.7% |
| Net margin | 38.3% | 40.7% |
| Return on equity | 27.6% | 49.6% |
| Return on assets | 17.2% | 31.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 24.8% | 26.5% |
| FCF yield | 2.6% | 1.3% |
| Dividend yield | — | 0.0% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.33 |
| Current ratio | 2.83 | 1.49 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.97 | 7.86 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.