CDNS vs PDFS vs QCOM Stock Comparison

Cadence Design Systems, Pdf Solutions and Qualcomm Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CDNS Cadence Design Systems Inc
$322.17 -1.2% 1M -6.6% 1Y
Market cap
$93.93B
P/E
68.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.13B
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor EDA Software Technology
2 wins
PDFS Pdf Solutions Inc
$40.82 -17.6% 1M +45.2% 1Y
Market cap
$1.81B
P/E
175.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$241.18M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor EDA Software Technology
3 wins
QCOM Qualcomm Inc/De
$179.60 -11.1% 1M +6.3% 1Y
Market cap
$194.85B
P/E
21.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$44.07B
Div. yield
0.02%
Semiconductor Design Technology
6 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Qualcomm leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Qualcomm 6, Pdf Solutions 3, Cadence Design Systems 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCDNSPDFSQCOMLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $93.93B $1.81B $194.85B QCOM
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 68.0x 175.4x 21.0x QCOM
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 36.4x 30.0x 16.6x QCOM
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.6% +23.0% +1.9% PDFS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months — 4.3% 21.0% QCOM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 3.1% 20.5% QCOM
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — -1.3x 0.4x PDFS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.02% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -6.6% +45.2% +6.3% PDFS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +14.3%/yr +12.1%/yr +6.5%/yr CDNS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 41.0% 69.0% 53.1% CDNS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 49/100 48/100 62/100 QCOM

Percentile Scorecard

CDNSPDFSQCOM

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

AxisCDNSPDFSQCOM
Valuation 30 #67 of 95 39 #58 of 95 80 #20 of 95
Growth 64 #34 of 93 86 #14 of 93 34 #62 of 93
Profitability 53 #43 of 91 43 #52 of 91 87 #13 of 91
Financial Health – 55 #46 of 101 28 #73 of 101
Shareholder Returns – 15 #64 of 75 80 #16 of 75
Overall 49 48 62
  • CDNS ranked among 104 companies in Semiconductors
  • PDFS ranked among 104 companies in Semiconductors
  • QCOM ranked among 104 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCDNSPDFSQCOMSPY
1 month -1.2%-17.6%-11.1% -0.8%
3 months -4.9%-14.5%+5.6% +3.5%
6 months -4.3%-1.3%+19.5% +7.0%
Year to date +3.1%+43.1%+5.0% +12.2%
1 year -6.6%+45.2%+6.3% +13.0%
3 years +39.5%+49.6%+68.7% +86.3%
3 years, per year +11.8%+14.4%+19.1% +23.1%
5 years +95.1%+76.8%+36.9% +68.6%
5 years, per year +14.3%+12.1%+6.5% +11.0%
10 years +1,162.4%+111.8%+163.3% +258.0%
10 years, per year +28.9%+7.8%+10.2% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureCDNSPDFSQCOMSPY
Volatility, 1Y 41.0%69.0%53.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 41.0%71.6%52.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.613.052.07 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.160.650.12 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -33.0%-65.5%-45.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -22.6%-42.3%-28.5% -1.8%
52-week high $416.39$70.79$251.02 $779.14
52-week low $265.66$23.97$124.07 $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.

MultipleCDNSPDFSQCOM
P/E now vs peer median 63.9xmedian 42.1x 162.1xmedian 42.1x 20.5xmedian 42.1x
P/S now vs peer median 14.5xmedian 7.1x 7.1xmedian 7.1x 4.3xmedian 7.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 27.5x 44.5xmedian 27.5x 16.5xmedian 27.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 53.2xmedian 37.2x -947.3xmedian 37.2x 18.2xmedian 37.2x
P/B now vs peer median 12.9xmedian 4.2x 4.6xmedian 4.2x 6.9xmedian 4.2x
PEG now vs peer median 5.13median 2.23 77.05median 2.23 4.93median 2.23

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 monthsCDNSPDFSQCOM
Revenue $6.13B $241.18M $44.07B
Gross profit – $172.35M $23.90B
Operating income $1.77B $19.66M $10.22B
Net income $1.38B $10.31M $9.26B
Free cash flow – -$1.81M $10.42B
R&D $2.04B $70.34M $9.89B
EPS (diluted) $5.00 $0.25 $8.66
Cash & equivalents $1.45B $114.88M $4.53B
Total debt – $66.52M $12.78B
Shares (diluted) 276.16M 41.78M 1.07B
Enterprise value $93.93B $1.58B $154.77B

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
MetricCDNSPDFSQCOM
P/E 63.9x 162.1x 20.5x
P/FCF 53.2x -947.3x 18.2x
P/Operating cash flow 45.1x 44.2x 15.3x
P/S 14.5x 7.1x 4.3x
P/B 12.9x 4.6x 6.9x
P/Tangible book 17.5x 5.3x 7.3x
EV/EBITDA – 44.5x 16.5x
EV/EBIT – 84.5x 19.0x
EV/Revenue 14.5x 6.9x 4.4x
EV/FCF – -920.5x 18.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 45.1x 42.9x 15.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 5.13 77.05 4.93

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCDNSPDFSQCOM
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.6% 23.0% 1.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 16.1% 14.0% 4.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 23.3% -0.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – 14.7% 3.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 19.4% 10,088% -15.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 16.4% 57.7% 0.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 30.1% 1,100% -20.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 13.0% 4.4% 2.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 29.0% 1,028% -17.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 12.5% 2.1% 4.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 21.7% 170.5% -2.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.6% 26.6% 12.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) – 85.2% -10.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – -29.8% 14.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCDNSPDFSQCOM
Gross margin – 71.5% 54.2%
EBITDA margin – 15.5% 26.8%
Operating margin – 8.2% 23.2%
Pretax margin – 6.9% 25.4%
Net margin – 4.3% 21.0%
FCF margin – -0.7% 23.6%
Operating cash flow margin 32.1% 16.0% 28.1%
Return on equity – 3.2% 33.7%
Return on assets – 2.2% 16.2%
Return on invested capital – 3.1% 20.5%
Return on capital employed – 4.9% 22.3%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 3.8x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 8.9% 10.6% 7.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCDNSPDFSQCOM
Debt / assets – 12.8% 22.3%
Debt / equity – 0.2x 0.5x
Net debt / EBITDA – -1.3x 0.4x
Debt / FCF – -36.9x 1.2x
Liabilities / assets – 28.3% 51.8%
Equity / assets 56.2% 71.7% 48.2%
Interest coverage – 4.3x 14.8x
Current ratio 1.4x 3.4x 2.0x
Quick ratio – 3.4x 1.1x
Cash ratio – 1.6x 0.7x
Altman Z-score – 7.77 6.10

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCDNSPDFSQCOM
Dividend yield – – 2.0%
Net buyback yield – -5.0% 4.6%
Shareholder yield – -5.0% 6.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 41.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 36.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 0.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 3.9%

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.

ConsensusCDNSPDFSQCOM
Forward P/E 36.4xFY2026 30.0xFY2026 16.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $8.84FY2026 $1.36FY2026 $10.79FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +23.8%FY2026 +44.7%FY2026 -10.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +14.6% +16.9% -3.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.79BFY2026 $273.57MFY2026 $45.55BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +28.2%FY2026 +24.9%FY2026 +3.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +13.9% +13.8% -5.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCDNSPDFSQCOM
Held by institutions 88.2% 93.0% 79.7%
Institutions holding 1,498 283 3,029
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.4% +20.8% +2.8%
Institutions buying 831 191 1,416
Institutions selling 518 61 1,332
Buyers to sellers 1.60 3.13 1.06

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.

CDNSPDFSQCOM
CDNS 1.00 0.43 0.28
PDFS 0.43 1.00 0.45
QCOM 0.28 0.45 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CDNS, PDFS and QCOM?

Qualcomm (QCOM) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) $93.93B, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) $1.81B, Qualcomm (QCOM) $194.85B.

Which stock is cheaper, CDNS, PDFS and QCOM?

Qualcomm (QCOM) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 68.0x, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 175.4x, Qualcomm (QCOM) 21.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Qualcomm (QCOM) is cheapest (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 36.4x, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 30.0x, Qualcomm (QCOM) 16.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Pdf Solutions (PDFS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) +17.6%, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) +23.0%, Qualcomm (QCOM) +1.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Qualcomm (QCOM) has the highest net margin (Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 4.3%, Qualcomm (QCOM) 21.0%). On return on invested capital, Qualcomm (QCOM) leads (Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 3.1%, Qualcomm (QCOM) 20.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Pdf Solutions (PDFS) returned the most: Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) -6.6%, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) +45.2%, Qualcomm (QCOM) +6.3%. Over five years, Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) compounded fastest (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) +14.3%/yr, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) +12.1%/yr, Qualcomm (QCOM) +6.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 0.00%, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 0.00%, Qualcomm (QCOM) 0.02%. Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) and Pdf Solutions (PDFS) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) has been the steadiest (Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) 41.0%, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 69.0%, Qualcomm (QCOM) 53.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Qualcomm (QCOM) leads on 6. 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.