Forbes·2025-05-27 12:30Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the investment potential of Arista Networks (ANET) compared to Amazon (AMZN), highlighting Arista's superior growth, margins, and financial stability despite its historical volatility during market downturns. Group 1: Growth and Financial Performance - Arista's revenue has been growing at an impressive rate of 34% annually for the past three years, while Amazon's growth rate is about 11% [6] - Arista enjoys operating cash flow margins of over 50%, meaning a greater share of revenue growth turns into actual cash, in contrast to Amazon's operating cash flow margins of roughly 17% [6] - Arista maintains a very strong financial position, with no debt and a high cash-to-assets ratio of 59%, compared to Amazon's 7% debt-to-equity ratio and only 16% of its assets in cash [6] Group 2: Market Position and Investment Considerations - Arista builds essential networking gear that powers the internet, especially for companies involved in cloud computing and AI, indicating a strong long-term investment potential as these sectors continue to grow [4] - Despite its past performance during market shocks, where ANET stock fell 38.4% during the 2022 inflation shock, it has already taken significant damage, dropping from around $130 in January to roughly $90 today [2][3] - For long-term investors looking to invest and forget for the next 3-5 years, ANET stock could be an interesting entry point at current levels [5]