CDNS vs ADI vs PDFS Stock Comparison

Cadence Design Systems, Analog Devices and Pdf Solutions Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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ADI Analog Devices Inc
$433.28 +8.8% 1M +84.3% 1Y
Market cap
$209.95B
P/E
50.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$13.88B
Div. yield
0.99%
Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology
8 wins
PDFS Pdf Solutions Inc
$45.56 -8.5% 1M +55.9% 1Y
Market cap
$1.91B
P/E
180.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$241.18M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor EDA Software Technology
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Analog Devices leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Analog Devices 8, Pdf Solutions 2, Cadence Design Systems 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCDNSADIPDFSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $94.04B $209.95B $1.91B ADI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 68.0x 50.9x 180.9x ADI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 38.8x 35.1x 33.5x PDFS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.6% +33.6% +23.0% ADI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 22.5% 29.8% 4.3% ADI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 14.1% 10.2% 3.1% CDNS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.5x 1.0x -1.3x PDFS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — 0.99% — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +0.4% +84.3% +55.9% ADI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.6%/yr +20.1%/yr +14.1%/yr ADI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 41.3% 36.6% 69.4% ADI
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 58/100 60/100 46/100 ADI

Percentile Scorecard

CDNSADIPDFS

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCDNSADIPDFS
Valuation 34 #62 of 94 45 #52 of 94 38 #59 of 94
Growth 64 #34 of 92 77 #22 of 92 85 #15 of 92
Profitability 85 #14 of 88 81 #18 of 88 40 #53 of 88
Financial Health 32 #66 of 96 28 #69 of 96 55 #44 of 96
Shareholder Returns 76 #18 of 72 69 #23 of 72 14 #62 of 72
Overall 58 60 46
  • CDNS ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • ADI ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • PDFS ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCDNSADIPDFSSPY
1 month +5.7%+8.8%-8.5% +0.7%
3 months +3.0%+18.2%-1.3% +3.7%
6 months +4.0%+7.7%+6.3% +7.1%
Year to date +9.7%+59.8%+59.7% +12.8%
1 year +0.4%+84.3%+55.9% +11.9%
3 years +46.6%+178.0%+72.6% +85.2%
3 years, per year +13.6%+40.6%+20.0% +22.8%
5 years +98.0%+149.7%+93.6% +67.6%
5 years, per year +14.6%+20.1%+14.1% +10.9%
10 years +1,250.5%+582.0%+128.6% +262.0%
10 years, per year +29.7%+21.2%+8.6% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCDNSADIPDFSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 41.3%36.6%69.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 40.8%36.6%71.9% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.631.733.08 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.012.310.81 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -33.0%-32.5%-65.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -17.7%-2.7%-35.6% -1.2%
52-week high $416.39$445.48$70.79 $779.14
52-week low $265.66$225.20$23.97 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCDNSADIPDFS
P/E now vs peer median 68.0xmedian 46.4x 50.9xmedian 46.4x 180.9xmedian 46.4x
P/S now vs peer median 15.3xmedian 7.8x 15.1xmedian 7.8x 7.9xmedian 7.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 44.1xmedian 27.5x 31.4xmedian 27.5x 49.8xmedian 27.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 53.3xmedian 40.1x 42.5xmedian 40.1x -1,057xmedian 40.1x
P/B now vs peer median 13.7xmedian 4.7x 6.3xmedian 4.7x 5.1xmedian 4.7x
PEG now vs peer median 5.40median 2.10 11.81median 2.10 86.00median 2.10

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCDNSADIPDFS
Revenue $6.13B $13.88B $241.18M
Gross profit $5.25B $9.13B $172.35M
Operating income $1.77B $4.93B $19.66M
Net income $1.38B $4.14B $10.31M
Free cash flow $1.76B $4.94B -$1.81M
R&D $2.04B $1.98B $70.34M
EPS (diluted) $5.02 $8.46 $0.25
Cash & equivalents $1.45B $2.17B $114.88M
Total debt $2.63B $9.12B $66.52M
Shares (diluted) 275.28M 488.84M 41.78M
Enterprise value $86.74B $196.49B $1.68B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCDNSADIPDFS
P/E 68.0x 50.9x 180.9x
P/FCF 53.3x 42.5x -1,057x
P/Operating cash flow 47.8x 37.9x 49.3x
P/S 15.3x 15.1x 7.9x
P/B 13.7x 6.3x 5.1x
P/Tangible book 18.5x 8.0x 5.9x
EV/EBITDA 44.1x 31.4x 49.8x
EV/EBIT 53.7x 43.9x 94.6x
EV/Revenue 15.5x 15.6x 7.7x
EV/FCF 54.0x 43.9x -1,031x
EV/Operating cash flow 48.4x 39.1x 48.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 5.40 11.81 86.00

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCDNSADIPDFS
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.6% 33.6% 23.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 16.1% 2.6% 14.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 17.8% 46.2% 23.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 14.5% 2.9% 14.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 19.4% 93.0% 10,088%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 16.4% 4.8% 57.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 30.1% 111.2% 1,100%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 3.3% 4.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 29.4% 114.6% 1,028%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 12.6% 4.3% 2.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 21.7% 33.2% 170.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.6% 5.1% 26.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 19.3% 34.2% 85.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.6% 10.2% -29.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCDNSADIPDFS
Gross margin 85.7% 65.8% 71.5%
EBITDA margin 35.2% 49.8% 15.5%
Operating margin 28.9% 35.5% 8.2%
Pretax margin 30.0% 33.9% 6.9%
Net margin 22.5% 29.8% 4.3%
FCF margin 28.8% 35.6% -0.7%
Operating cash flow margin 32.1% 39.9% 16.0%
Return on equity 20.1% 12.3% 3.2%
Return on assets 11.4% 8.6% 2.2%
Return on invested capital 14.1% 10.2% 3.1%
Return on capital employed 18.3% 11.6% 4.9%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.3x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.3x 3.8x
Stock comp / revenue 8.9% 2.5% 10.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCDNSADIPDFS
Debt / assets 21.5% 18.8% 12.8%
Debt / equity 0.4x 0.3x 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.5x 1.0x -1.3x
Debt / FCF 1.5x 1.8x -36.9x
Liabilities / assets 43.8% 30.7% 28.3%
Equity / assets 56.2% 69.3% 71.7%
Interest coverage 14.0x 14.1x 4.3x
Current ratio 1.4x 1.3x 3.4x
Quick ratio 1.3x 0.8x 3.4x
Cash ratio 0.6x 0.4x 1.6x
Altman Z-score 12.54 9.48 8.58

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCDNSADIPDFS
Dividend yield – 1.0% –
Net buyback yield 0.9% 1.4% -4.5%
Shareholder yield 0.9% 2.4% -4.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 49.4% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 41.4% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 7.8% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 7.6% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCDNSADIPDFS
Forward P/E 38.8xFY2026 35.1xFY2026 33.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $8.84FY2026 $12.33FY2026 $1.36FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +23.8%FY2026 +58.3%FY2026 +44.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +14.6% +27.0% +16.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.79BFY2026 $15.85BFY2026 $273.57MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +28.2%FY2026 +43.8%FY2026 +24.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +13.9% +19.8% +13.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCDNSADIPDFS
Held by institutions 88.2% 90.9% 93.0%
Institutions holding 1,501 2,289 284
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.4% +4.5% +20.8%
Institutions buying 834 1,183 191
Institutions selling 518 820 61
Buyers to sellers 1.61 1.44 3.13

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CDNSADIPDFS
CDNS 1.00 0.31 0.44
ADI 0.31 1.00 0.60
PDFS 0.44 0.60 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CDNS, ADI and PDFS?

Analog Devices (ADI) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) $94.04B, Analog Devices (ADI) $209.95B, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) $1.91B.

Which stock is cheaper, CDNS, ADI and PDFS?

Analog Devices (ADI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 68.0x, Analog Devices (ADI) 50.9x, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 180.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) is cheapest (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 38.8x, Analog Devices (ADI) 35.1x, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 33.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Analog Devices (ADI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) +17.6%, Analog Devices (ADI) +33.6%, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) +23.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Analog Devices (ADI) has the highest net margin (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 22.5%, Analog Devices (ADI) 29.8%, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 4.3%). On return on invested capital, Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) leads (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 14.1%, Analog Devices (ADI) 10.2%, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 3.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Analog Devices (ADI) returned the most: Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) +0.4%, Analog Devices (ADI) +84.3%, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) +55.9%. Over five years, Analog Devices (ADI) compounded fastest (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) +14.6%/yr, Analog Devices (ADI) +20.1%/yr, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) +14.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Analog Devices (ADI) 0.99%. Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) and Pdf Solutions (PDFS) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Analog Devices (ADI) has been the steadiest (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 41.3%, Analog Devices (ADI) 36.6%, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 69.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CDNS, ADI and PDFS?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Analog Devices (ADI) leads on 8. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.