CDNS vs DLB vs NVMI Stock Comparison

Cadence Design Systems, Dolby Laboratories and Nova Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CDNS Cadence Design Systems Inc
$342.75 +5.7% 1M +0.4% 1Y
Market cap
$94.04B
P/E
68.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.13B
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor EDA Software Technology
3 wins
DLB Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
$62.91 +8.6% 1M -3.1% 1Y
Market cap
$5.93B
P/E
26.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.35B
Div. yield
2.29%
Semiconductor EDA Software Technology
4 wins
NVMI Nova Ltd.
$334.59 -13.1% 1M -4.8% 1Y
Market cap
$10.63B
P/E
37.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$937.50M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
2 wins

Head to Head

9 decided of 12

Dolby Laboratories leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (Dolby Laboratories 4, Cadence Design Systems 3, Nova 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCDNSDLBNVMILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $94.04B $5.93B $10.63B CDNS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 68.0x 26.2x 37.3x DLB
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 38.8x 14.0x 29.6x DLB
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.6% +0.6% +16.2% CDNS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 22.5% 16.7% 28.8% NVMI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 14.1% — — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.5x — — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — 2.29% — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +0.4% -3.1% -4.8% CDNS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.6%/yr -6.6%/yr +25.3%/yr NVMI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 41.3% 30.2% 59.4% DLB
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 58/100 66/100 53/100 DLB

Percentile Scorecard

CDNSDLBNVMI

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

AxisCDNSDLBNVMI
Valuation 34 #62 of 94 85 #15 of 94 56 #42 of 94
Growth 64 #34 of 92 28 #67 of 92 67 #31 of 92
Profitability 85 #14 of 88 70 #27 of 88 75 #23 of 88
Financial Health 32 #66 of 96 61 #38 of 96 15 #82 of 96
Shareholder Returns 76 #18 of 72 85 #12 of 72 –
Overall 58 66 53
  • CDNS ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • DLB ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • NVMI ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCDNSDLBNVMISPY
1 month +5.7%+8.6%-13.1% +0.7%
3 months +3.0%+21.7%-15.1% +3.7%
6 months +4.0%-1.9%-33.1% +7.1%
Year to date +9.7%-2.0%+1.9% +12.8%
1 year +0.4%-3.1%-4.8% +11.9%
3 years +46.6%-20.8%+259.8% +85.2%
3 years, per year +13.6%-7.5%+53.3% +22.8%
5 years +98.0%-28.8%+208.0% +67.6%
5 years, per year +14.6%-6.6%+25.3% +10.9%
10 years +1,250.5%+32.2%+2,667.5% +262.0%
10 years, per year +29.7%+2.8%+39.4% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCDNSDLBNVMISPY
Volatility, 1Y 41.3%30.2%59.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 40.8%31.5%67.6% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.630.532.90 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.01-0.10-0.08 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -33.0%-49.6%-52.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -17.7%-8.9%-44.8% -1.2%
52-week high $416.39$69.09$605.65 $779.14
52-week low $265.66$48.50$275.78 $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.

MultipleCDNSDLBNVMI
P/E now vs peer median 68.0xmedian 46.4x 26.2xmedian 46.4x 37.3xmedian 46.4x
P/S now vs peer median 15.3xmedian 7.8x 4.4xmedian 7.8x 11.3xmedian 7.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 44.1xmedian 27.5x 15.8xmedian 27.5x 34.5xmedian 27.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 53.3xmedian 40.1x 15.1xmedian 40.1x 43.4xmedian 40.1x
P/B now vs peer median 13.7xmedian 4.7x 2.3xmedian 4.7x 7.3xmedian 4.7x
PEG now vs peer median 5.40median 2.10 12.58median 2.10 1.51median 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 monthsCDNSDLBNVMI
Revenue $6.13B $1.35B $937.50M
Gross profit $5.25B $1.19B $535.50M
Operating income $1.77B $239.10M $271.61M
Net income $1.38B $228.00M $270.51M
Free cash flow $1.76B $392.67M $244.83M
R&D $2.04B $265.94M $151.05M
EPS (diluted) $5.02 $2.39 $8.24
Cash & equivalents $1.45B $669.39M $124.85M
Total debt $2.63B – –
Shares (diluted) 275.28M 94.52M 32.80M
Enterprise value $86.74B $3.33B $7.80B

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
MetricCDNSDLBNVMI
P/E 68.0x 26.2x 37.3x
P/FCF 53.3x 15.1x 43.4x
P/Operating cash flow 47.8x 13.5x 47.0x
P/S 15.3x 4.4x 11.3x
P/B 13.7x 2.3x 7.3x
P/Tangible book 18.5x 2.7x 7.5x
EV/EBITDA 44.1x 15.8x 34.5x
EV/EBIT 53.7x 22.0x 36.9x
EV/Revenue 15.5x 3.9x 10.7x
EV/FCF 54.0x 13.4x 40.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 48.4x 12.0x 44.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 5.40 12.58 1.51

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCDNSDLBNVMI
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.6% 0.6% 16.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 16.1% 1.7% 19.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 17.8% -0.5% 16.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 14.5% 1.5% 20.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 19.4% -15.1% 16.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 16.4% -1.0% 24.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 30.1% -14.2% 15.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 1.3% 25.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 29.4% -12.3% 12.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 12.6% 2.1% 24.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 21.7% -6.0% -1.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.6% 9.5% 20.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 19.3% -10.4% -3.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.6% 9.3% 18.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCDNSDLBNVMI
Gross margin 85.7% 87.6% 57.1%
EBITDA margin 35.2% 24.5% 31.0%
Operating margin 28.9% 17.7% 29.0%
Pretax margin 30.0% 20.4% 34.1%
Net margin 22.5% 16.7% 28.8%
FCF margin 28.8% 29.0% 26.1%
Operating cash flow margin 32.1% 32.3% 24.1%
Return on equity 20.1% 8.7% 19.0%
Return on assets 11.4% 7.1% 11.0%
Return on invested capital 14.1% – –
Return on capital employed 18.3% 8.6% 17.9%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.4x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.9x 0.8x
Stock comp / revenue 8.9% 9.6% 2.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCDNSDLBNVMI
Debt / assets 21.5% – –
Debt / equity 0.4x – –
Net debt / EBITDA 0.5x – –
Debt / FCF 1.5x – –
Liabilities / assets 43.8% 17.9% 41.1%
Equity / assets 56.2% 82.1% 58.9%
Interest coverage 14.0x – –
Current ratio 1.4x 3.2x 1.6x
Quick ratio 1.3x 3.1x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.6x 1.6x 0.7x
Altman Z-score 12.54 8.49 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCDNSDLBNVMI
Dividend yield – 2.3% –
Net buyback yield 0.9% 3.5% –
Shareholder yield 0.9% 5.8% –
Payout ratio (earnings) – 58.9% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 34.2% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 8.6% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 9.6% –

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.

ConsensusCDNSDLBNVMI
Forward P/E 38.8xFY2026 14.0xFY2026 29.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $8.84FY2026 $4.49FY2026 $11.30FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +23.8%FY2026 +5.9%FY2026 +31.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +14.6% +4.7% +17.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.79BFY2026 $1.50BFY2026 $1.15BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +28.2%FY2026 +11.1%FY2026 +30.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +13.9% -7.7% +23.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCDNSDLBNVMI
Held by institutions 88.2% 100.0% 69.0%
Institutions holding 1,501 390 343
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.4% +5.8% -4.1%
Institutions buying 834 195 175
Institutions selling 518 148 129
Buyers to sellers 1.61 1.32 1.36

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.

CDNSDLBNVMI
CDNS 1.00 0.23 0.32
DLB 0.23 1.00 0.07
NVMI 0.32 0.07 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CDNS, DLB and NVMI?

Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) $94.04B, Dolby Laboratories (DLB) $5.93B, Nova (NVMI) $10.63B.

Which stock is cheaper, CDNS, DLB and NVMI?

Dolby Laboratories (DLB) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 68.0x, Dolby Laboratories (DLB) 26.2x, Nova (NVMI) 37.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Dolby Laboratories (DLB) is cheapest (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 38.8x, Dolby Laboratories (DLB) 14.0x, Nova (NVMI) 29.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) +17.6%, Dolby Laboratories (DLB) +0.6%, Nova (NVMI) +16.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Nova (NVMI) has the highest net margin (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 22.5%, Dolby Laboratories (DLB) 16.7%, Nova (NVMI) 28.8%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) returned the most: Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) +0.4%, Dolby Laboratories (DLB) -3.1%, Nova (NVMI) -4.8%. Over five years, Nova (NVMI) compounded fastest (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) +14.6%/yr, Dolby Laboratories (DLB) -6.6%/yr, Nova (NVMI) +25.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Dolby Laboratories (DLB) 2.29%. Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) and Nova (NVMI) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Dolby Laboratories (DLB) has been the steadiest (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 41.3%, Dolby Laboratories (DLB) 30.2%, Nova (NVMI) 59.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CDNS, DLB and NVMI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Dolby Laboratories (DLB) leads on 4. 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.