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Quote this valuation with its source: Fair value, Potential value and the price at analysis.
FAQ
CDNS — frequently asked questions
Is Cadence Design Systems, Inc. overvalued?
In our latest published analysis dated 2026-05-10, CDNS looks meaningfully overvalued. The price recorded at analysis is USD 363 versus our fair value of USD 152; the high endpoint is presented separately as potential value of USD 196. That implies roughly 58.1% downside to fair value at that date.
Our latest published report, analyzed 2026-05-10, gives CDNS a fair value of USD 152 and a potential value of USD 196. The conclusion is triangulated across multiple valuation models and weighted by reliability for Cadence Design Systems, Inc.'s archetype; it is a dated research output, not a live price.
Should I buy CDNS now?
Our latest published rating for CDNS, analyzed 2026-05-10, is Sell. Cadence Design Systems, Inc. looks meaningfully overvalued at the analysis-date price of USD 363 versus fair value of USD 152; potential value is USD 196. This is research for educational purposes, not personalized investment advice.
What are the biggest risks for CDNS?
The dedicated bear-case section in our report analyzed 2026-05-10 documents Cadence Design Systems, Inc.'s material risks, evidence, thresholds, and thesis-invalidation conditions. Scenario-specific explanations remain in that section so the report does not repeat or decontextualize them elsewhere.
What is CDNS's rating?
Our latest published rating for CDNS, analyzed 2026-05-10, is Sell, with a published moat assessment of 9/10 (Wide). It reflects our fair value of USD 152, the potential value of USD 196, and the price recorded at analysis (USD 363).
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§1 SamenvattingEN
Antwoord in 30 secondenSell
Koers versus waarde
Koers
$362.70
Reële waarde
$152.08
Potentiële waarde
$195.90
Per
Koersdatum niet vastgelegd
Waarom het kan werken
Bull: AI-driven chip design and custom silicon trends accelerate, pushing EDA software usage higher across non-traditional tech companies.
Wat onze visie zou veranderen
Severe Multiple Compression: Market rotates out of high-multiple AI beneficiaries, compressing the 38x forward PE toward historical software averages.
Cadence Design Systems operates in a highly consolidated, sticky duopoly for EDA software. Increasing chip complexity ensures long-term secular demand, but current valuation is irrationally disconnected from fundamental realities.
Cadence Design Systems operates in a highly consolidated, sticky duopoly for EDA software. Increasing chip complexity ensures long-term secular demand, but current valuation is irrationally disconnected from fundamental realities.
Cycle upside
Explosive demand for custom silicon, AI accelerators, and advanced packaging drives secular EDA adoption.
Huisaanbeveling
Sell. Exceptional business quality overshadowed by absurd valuation multiples detached from mathematical reality.
Cadence Design Systems, Inc. develops computational, AI-driven software, hardware, and silicon intellectual property products and solutions. The company offers functional verification services, such as Jasper, a formal verification platform; Xcelium, a parallel logic simulation platform; Verisium, a generative AI solution; Palladium, an enterprise emulation platform; and Protium, a prototyping platform for chip verification, as well as digital IC design and sign off products, including In novus platform; and custom IC design and simulation product include Virtuoso, a platform to design and verify analog. It also provides Xcelium logic simulator and other front-end verification and virtual prototyping technologies; controllers and physical interfaces; PCI Express, universal accelerator and compute express links, and multiple memory interfaces; and Ten Silica, a digital signal processor. In addition, the company's design IP portfolio includes serializer/deserializer, peripheral component interconnect, USB, and other standard protocols; and Secure-IC, a solution for embedded security IP. Additionally, it provides System Design and Analysis (SD&A) platform, a solution that enables end-to-end system-level design and verification across chips, packages, PCBs, and electronic systems; Allegro X and Orca X platforms for PCB and advanced packaging; Sigrity X for signal and power integrity; AIR for RF design; Fidelity for computational fluid dynamics; Celsius for thermal and airflow analysis; Clarity 3D solver for electromagnetic and power electronics analysis and simulation; Integrity 3D-IC solution for 3D-IC and multi-chiplet designs; the Optimality Intelligent System Explorer, Reality digital twin, and Millennium enterprise multiphasic platforms; Allegro system design platform; and molecular modeling and simulation solutions and services. The company has a strategic collaboration with NVIDIA. The company was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.
§2 BerenscenarioEN
A rapid deceleration in semiconductor R&D spending combined with a broad market re-rating of hyper-growth tech multiples would decimate CDNS's current premium. Implied perpetual growth rates of 29% are impossible to sustain.
A severe semiconductor cyclical downturn or geopolitical restriction on IP exports to China curtails revenue growth. The current forward multiple severely compresses.
Revenue deceleration signals that semiconductor design starts and EDA software renewals are moderating among core chipmakers. Slower customer expansion undermines the compounding recurring software revenue model and compresses premium software valuation multiples.
Huidig:14.1% for the period ended 2025-12-31
Waarschuwing als< 10.0% over two consecutive quarters
§3 ConcurrentievoordeelEN
Wide
Intense switching costs and consolidated duopoly with Synopsys. Mission-critical nature of EDA software ensures extreme stickiness.
Economische winst
Economic profit is supported when reported returns exceed the company cost-of-capital hurdle.
9/ 10
Wide
Sources of advantage
01Intense switching costs and consolidated duopoly with Synopsys. Mission-critical — Intense switching costs and consolidated duopoly with Synopsys. Mission-critical nature of EDA software ensures extreme stickiness.Wide
Bekende bedreigingen voor het concurrentievoordeel
Bedreiging
Ernst
Tijdlijn
Beperking
Open-source EDA tool proliferation. Consolidation of major semiconductor customers increasing pricing power against CDNS.
medium
Monitor
Monitor the threat against the report checkpoints.
If revenue growth exceeds 15% and margins hold above 32%, the multiple may sustain near-term. If forward guidance disappoints or AI-linked bookings stall, expect violent multiple compression.
Conform
Hold
Trigger: In-line results
If revenue growth exceeds 15% and margins hold above 32%, the multiple may sustain near-term. If forward guidance disappoints or AI-linked bookings stall, expect violent multiple compression.
Gemist
Reassess
Trigger: Downside surprise
If revenue growth exceeds 15% and margins hold above 32%, the multiple may sustain near-term. If forward guidance disappoints or AI-linked bookings stall, expect violent multiple compression.
Winstkwaliteit
If revenue growth exceeds 15% and margins hold above 32%, the multiple may sustain near-term. If forward guidance disappoints or AI-linked bookings stall, expect violent multiple compression.
Warning level: < 10.0% over two consecutive quarters. Revenue deceleration signals that semiconductor design starts and EDA software renewals are moderating among core chipmakers. Slower customer expansion undermines the compounding recurring software revenue model and compresses premium software valuation multiples.
Capital allocation should be evaluated against reinvestment needs, balance-sheet strength, and shareholder returns.
Meest recente omzet5,3 mld.Omzet-CAGR +15,4%
Operationele marge31,1%5 boekjaarperioden
Meest recente vrije kasstroom1,6 mld.FY2025
Netto-kas384,9 mln.FY2025
Uitsplitsing van de resultatenrekeningHoe bedrijfsschaal wordt omgezet in gerapporteerde winst.
StockMarketAgent.AI
Omzet5,3 mld.Kostprijs van de omzet−722,2 mln.Brutowinst4,6 mld.Bedrijfskosten−2,9 mld.Bedrijfsresultaat1,6 mld.Niet-operationele posten en belastingen−540,9 mln.Nettowinst1,1 mld.
Financiële historische gegevens
Omzet
5.296.759.000
Kostprijs van de omzet
722.249.000
Brutowinst
4.574.510.000
Bedrijfskosten
2.924.729.000
Bedrijfsresultaat
1.649.781.000
Niet-operationele posten en belastingen
-540.893.000
Nettowinst
1.108.888.000
Momentopname van de balansHoe de gerapporteerde activa in de geselecteerde periode worden aangehouden en gefinancierd.
For existing longs, use current $362.70 levels to harvest profits or sell covered calls, given the -58% fundamental downside.
§12 BeleggersperspectievenEN
Bull view
Buy
Upside case depends on the report valuation range and named growth catalysts.
Base view
Sell
The intrinsic fair value of $152.08 exposes a severe 60% divergence from current pricing. A reverse DCF implies an impossible 29% 10-year EPS CAGR.
§14 EindaanbevelingEN
Actie
Verkopen
Sell. While the underlying business is a pristine, asset-light compounder within a sticky duopoly, current market pricing represents speculative euphoria entirely detached from decade-long cash flow realities.
Reassess the thesis against the named valuation, risk, and quarterly checkpoint evidence in this report.
§15Your notes
Capture your own thesis, position size, and follow-up questions. Stays on this device, only you can see it.
A drop in cash flow conversion highlights payment friction, uncollected license billings, or revenue disruptions tied to regional trade barriers. Weaker cash generation restricts strategic investments in artificial intelligence design tooling and share repurchases.
Huidig:1.559 as of 2026-05-10
Waarschuwing als< 1.10x over trailing twelve months
Diminishing returns on capital demonstrate that incremental software development expenditures and acquisitions are failing to expand core design automation market share. Subdued capital productivity impairs long-term economic moat expansion.
Huidig:16.0% as of 2026-05-10
Waarschuwing als< 12.0% over trailing twelve months
CDNS maintains its duopoly position and rides the AI silicon wave, but valuation normalizes to match fundamental cash flow generation and mature compounder characteristics.
Warning level: < 12.0% over trailing twelve months. Diminishing returns on capital demonstrate that incremental software development expenditures and acquisitions are failing to expand core design automation market share. Subdued capital productivity impairs long-term economic moat expansion.