Cadence Design Systems (CDNS)
NASDAQInformation TechnologySoftware - ApplicationSnapshot 2026-09-14
$279.06-3.56%
Close 2026-09-14 · 1-day change
NASDAQInformation TechnologySoftware - ApplicationSnapshot 2026-09-14
Research Workspace
Put CDNS beside peers and holdings, graph the same metric, and keep your notes with the evidence.
Daily closes. Earnings/event dots are placed inline.
Industries move in repeating boom-and-bust cycles. This shows where this stock’s industry sits in that cycle, stage by stage (recovery → expansion → supercycle → steady → deceleration → contraction), from its fundamentals (orders, revenue, capital spending), not the stock’s price.
A booming industry is a tailwind for the names in it; a contracting one is a headwind. Companies in the same industry tend to rise and fall together with the cycle, the way a tide lifts and lowers every boat in the harbor at once, so a large part of a stock’s swing can come from where its industry sits rather than from the company itself. It’s context for reading the company’s results, not a buy/sell call. Full explanation →
Application Software is in steady. Describes the industry's cycle state, not a call on this stock.
The stage band shows the industry’s cycle over the chart’s timeline (each color a stage); a ▼ marks a quarter its growth inflected down — amber is an unconfirmed watch, red is confirmed the next quarter. Use “Overlay cycle on chart” to tint the price chart by stage. The industry’s fundamentals, not a signal on this stock.
Primary pillar broken — Achieve EPS of about $4.44 per share: FY26 EPS guidance $8.10 vs $4.39 target.
View ThesisRevenue growth is slowing — up about 15% over the past year and decelerating.
View GrowthMiddle-of-the-pack quality for its industry.
View QualityManagement screens strong on capital allocation, earnings delivery, margins.
View ManagementExpectations look high — the market is pricing in about 34% growth a year, above the roughly 17% analysts expect, leaving little room for error.
View ValuationModerate volatility — typically moves about 1% a day.
View RiskCDNS's growth in the AI-driven product portfolio must continue to justify its valuation. Revenue grew 19% year over year, and the last quarter beat expectations. It trades at 39× P/E versus a peer median of 27×, indicating the market is pricing in more growth than we forecast. The primary risk is a potential credibility hit if CDNS cuts guidance after recently raising it. Peer multiples imply a price about 51% below where it trades (it looks expensive on this basis). The thesis has broken due to a primary pillar being broken.
Trailing returns as of 2026-09-14. CDNS is total return (includes dividends); the S&P 500 benchmark is price return (the index excludes dividends).
Based on 27 analysts currently covering CDNS (as of Sep 2026).
Based on 9 Wall Street analysts offering 12-month price targets for CDNS in the last 4 months.
Continue this research
Compare CDNS with peers and holdings, graph the same reported metric, keep your questions beside the evidence, and return when the facts change.
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| Compare | Company | Living FV | P/E | Revenue % | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDNS Selected company | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Peer Add a competitor | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Holding Compare a holding | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review |
Selected metric trend
Quarterly · checked companies · value or % of revenue
A consensus fair price across 12 valuation methods, at three horizons. As of 2026-09-14. Estimates are diagnostics, not price targets. Short-horizon estimates are close to coin-flips, so confidence is a method-agreement read, not a prediction.
Today's peer multiple on trailing earnings, with no growth credited. This is the headline read.
Adds projected growth, so it leans optimistic by design. Read it as upside context, not a base case.
A price-focused, side-by-side fair-value read versus Application Software — fair value, gap to price, and forward P/E.
Our valuation methods disagree too much on this name right now. Rather than print a number we don't believe, we're holding it back until they converge.
Compare the value case
Put CDNS next to peers and holdings, compare Living FV and multiples, then graph the driver behind the difference.
Advances: Increase 2026 revenue outlook to ~19% growth
Raising 2026 outlook supports revenue growth objective.
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.
End-of-day figures as of 2026-09-14. EPS is implied from price ÷ P/E. Not investment advice.
Current $279.06
The last 12 months of price, then the range of analyst 12-month targets from today’s $279.06.
Analyst ratings and price targets are third-party Wall Street estimates, not QuarterlyIQ’s view. Not investment advice.
A long-thesis check that carries the widest uncertainty of the three horizons.
Top 25% on quality vs scored peers
A second lens on the 12-month fair value: for companies that score high on measured quality (profitability, balance-sheet safety, earnings stability), this read trusts more of today's profit margins instead of averaging them toward their multi-year history the way the headline number does. Shown alongside the fair value above, not in place of it. A diagnostic, not a price target or a buy/sell signal.
Direction of the business behind the multiple. Bands are backend reads; trailing-12-month basis.
Advances: Expand AI-driven product portfolio and market adoption
Agentic capabilities enhance AI-driven product portfolio growth.
Advances: Expand AI-driven product portfolio and market adoption
AI-driven solutions enhance product portfolio and market adoption.
Advances: Increase 2026 revenue outlook to ~19% growth
Q2 earnings beat and revenue outlook raised significantly.
Advances: Expand AI-driven product portfolio and market adoption
Focus on AI-driven products aligns with expansion goals.
Advances: Expand AI-driven product portfolio and market adoption
Increased demand for AI chip design expands product portfolio.
Advances: Increase 2026 revenue outlook to ~19% growth
Increased forecasts align with growth objectives.
Advances: Increase 2026 revenue outlook to ~19% growth
Signals strong revenue growth and solid backlog.
