Risk Intelligence
75 / 100
Restricted
How strong and defensively sound is the company?
Above average on this measure.
CDNS · NASDAQ
Sector unavailable · Industry unavailable
$289.37
+1.55%
Close on Sep 11, 2026
Updated 6/30/2026
Long-term research evidence only. No price targets, no trading signals, no recommendations.
Investment Report Card
Sector unavailable · Data confidence good
62 / 100
Rank #177 of 1,152 qualified companies
Top 26% · Watch
75 / 100
Restricted
How strong and defensively sound is the company?
Above average on this measure.
63 / 100
Not Scored
Does the business have the characteristics needed to create value over many years?
Around the middle of the covered universe.
47 / 100
Not Scored
Is the underlying business getting stronger or weaker?
Weaker than most covered companies on this measure.
65 / 100
Positive disclosed activity
What are important owners actually doing?
Around the middle of the covered universe.
39 / 100
Elevated
Is today's price reasonable?
Weaker than most covered companies on this measure — and valuation is researched separately from the Suggested Investment Score.
50 / 100
Moderate Capital Returns
How effectively does the company reward shareholders?
Weaker than most covered companies on this measure — and capital returns are researched separately from the Suggested Investment Score.
CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS INC scores 63 on Long-Term Potential (C), described by the research model as not scored. This describes business characteristics only — it is not a forecast of future returns.
Disclosed ownership evidence reads 65 (C+): Positive disclosed activity. 5 tracked managers disclosed a position in the latest reporting period. Ownership filings are historical disclosures, not signals.
CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS INC reads 39 out of 100 on Valuation Intelligence, recorded as Elevated. The stock currently trades above most of its own recent valuation history and above comparable companies. This describes the price being paid relative to the company's financials — it is not a forecast and not a fair value. Valuation Intelligence is a research model and contributes nothing to the Suggested Investment Score or the daily ranking.
CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS INC reads 50 out of 100 on Capital Returns Intelligence (Moderate Capital Returns), reflecting no measurable direct capital returns. Direct capital returns are limited because the company continues reinvesting most of its cash. Capital Returns Intelligence is a research model and contributes nothing to the Suggested Investment Score or the daily ranking.
No meaningful recorded changes in the stored history.
Risk Intelligence is a core model, Long-Term Potential, Fundamental Momentum, Valuation Intelligence and Capital Returns Intelligence are research models, and Ownership Intelligence is supplemental descriptive evidence. Valuation Intelligence and Capital Returns Intelligence each contribute 0% to the Suggested Investment Score. Nothing here is a recommendation.
Compare CDNS with other companiesResearch Collections
This company does not currently satisfy any collection rule. That is a stored research result, not a judgement about the business.
Browse collectionsAbout a minute to read
Written from stored research readings only. No hype. No trading signals. Just better evidence.
CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS INC (CDNS) scores 62 out of 100 and ranks #177 of 1,152 qualified companies today. That places it in the top 26% of ranked companies. The stored tier for that score is watch.
Risk Intelligence reads 75 out of 100 (B−), recorded as restricted. Above average on this measure.
Long-Term Potential reads 63 out of 100 (C), recorded as not scored. Around the middle of the covered universe.
Fundamental Momentum reads 47 out of 100 (D), recorded as not scored. Weaker than most covered companies on this measure.
Ownership Intelligence reads 65 out of 100 (C+), recorded as positive disclosed activity. Around the middle of the covered universe.
Valuation is currently the main point of caution: Valuation Intelligence reads 39 out of 100 (F), recorded as Elevated. CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS INC reads 39 out of 100 on Valuation Intelligence, recorded as Elevated. The stock currently trades above most of its own recent valuation history and above comparable companies. This describes the price being paid relative to the company's financials — it is not a forecast and not a fair value. Valuation Intelligence is a research model and contributes nothing to the Suggested Investment Score or the daily ranking.
Capital Returns Intelligence reads 50 out of 100 (D+), recorded as Moderate Capital Returns. CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS INC reads 50 out of 100 on Capital Returns Intelligence (Moderate Capital Returns), reflecting no measurable direct capital returns. Direct capital returns are limited because the company continues reinvesting most of its cash. Capital Returns Intelligence is a research model and contributes nothing to the Suggested Investment Score or the daily ranking.
Elevated valuation: the current market price reflects a premium to this company's historical valuation and comparable companies (Valuation Intelligence 39 out of 100, Elevated). Data confidence for this company is good.
No individual layer reaches the strongest band today. Fundamental Momentum remains the main area to watch. Separately from the score, valuation reads elevated at today's price.
Composite discovery model
Suggested Investment Score
62 / 100
A 0–100 composite discovery score combining Risk Intelligence, Long-Term Potential, Fundamental Momentum, and Ownership Intelligence. It helps rank qualified companies for further research and does not predict future returns.
30% contribution
30% contribution
20% contribution
20% contribution
65 / 100 · Positive · 20% of the Suggested Investment Score
Coverage: Good
50% of Ownership Intelligence · 10% of the total score
Tracked professional-manager activity is moderately positive.
20% of Ownership Intelligence · 4% of the total score
Broad institutional evidence from resolved filings is positive.
15% of Ownership Intelligence · 3% of the total score
No discretionary insider transactions are stored for this company, so this evidence is unavailable rather than neutral.
15% of Ownership Intelligence · 3% of the total score
No qualifying major-holder filings are stored, so this evidence is unavailable rather than neutral.
Ownership Intelligence summarizes publicly disclosed activity among professional investment managers, broader institutions, company insiders, and significant strategic owners. It adds context to investment research but is not a validated predictor of future performance. Ownership information is publicly reported with a delay; the latest applicable reporting period is 2026-06-30, publicly disclosed 9/11/2026. Congressional activity is unavailable pending legal review and contributes nothing to this reading.
Strong risk profile
Risk Intelligence ranks in the top 17% of qualified companies, with normal_risk price risk.
Fundamental Momentum is softer
Reported business trends rank below the qualified median.
Ownership evidence is not uniformly supportive
The combined disclosed ownership evidence ranks below the qualified median.
COMPOSITE DISCOVERY MODEL — RESEARCH STAGE · Data coverage Excellent. Rankings are recalculated daily using the latest available information. Individual components may update at different frequencies based on when new financial and ownership data becomes available.
Researched separately
Valuation Intelligence 39 · Elevated
Valuation Intelligence is currently researched separately and does not affect the Suggested Investment Score or daily ranking.
Researched separately
Capital Returns Intelligence 50 · Moderate Capital Returns
Capital Returns Intelligence is researched separately and contributes 0% to the Suggested Investment Score, the daily rank or any ranking event.
Score explanation
Four research areas carry fixed weights. Each area is compared against every other eligible company, then weighted. The four contributions below add to 62.1 of the stored score (62.1).
Risk Intelligence
30% of the score · contributes 25.0 points
How strong and defensively sound is the company?
Stands at the 83 percentile of eligible companies · stored reading 75 · 40% of this company’s total score
How financially sturdy the company has been when conditions turned against it.
Risk Intelligence reads stored balance-sheet strength, historical downside behaviour and the company's price-risk grouping. A stronger reading describes past resilience; it does not protect against future losses.
Full methodologyLong-Term Potential
30% of the score · contributes 22.4 points
Does the business have the characteristics needed to create value over many years?
Stands at the 75 percentile of eligible companies · stored reading 63 · 36% of this company’s total score
Whether the business has the durable characteristics long-term owners look for.
Long-Term Potential reads durability characteristics such as profitability consistency, cash generation and reinvestment capability over multiple reported periods.
Full methodologyFundamental Momentum
20% of the score · contributes 8.6 points
Is the underlying business getting stronger or weaker?
Stands at the 43 percentile of eligible companies · stored reading 47 · 14% of this company’s total score
Whether the reported business results have been getting stronger or weaker.
Fundamental Momentum compares recent reported fundamentals with the company's own earlier periods, so improvement or deterioration is measured against its history rather than against a forecast.
Full methodologyOwnership Intelligence
20% of the score · contributes 6.2 points
What are important owners actually doing?
Stands at the 31 percentile of eligible companies · stored reading 65 · 10% of this company’s total score
What large reporting owners have actually been doing with their positions.
Ownership Intelligence reads public ownership filings: how many tracked reporting owners hold the company, and whether they were adding, holding, reducing or exiting in the latest disclosed period.
Full methodologyAdditional research — not currently included in the primary Suggested Investment Score.
Stored snapshots only
Research-score history available since September 2026.
Stored research history does not yet cover a full 30 days comparison for this company.
A change is reported as meaningful at 8 score points, 5 rank places, or any change of research classification. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell.
Plain-English definitions, with the formula and the limitations of each measure.
Fifth research lens · outside the score
Valuation Intelligence
Valuation Intelligence is currently researched separately and does not affect the Suggested Investment Score or daily ranking.
Elevated
48
Reasonable
Is this company expensive or inexpensive compared with its own history?
15
Expensive
How expensive is this stock compared with similar companies?
35
Elevated
How much financial output does an investor receive relative to the price paid?
58
Reasonable
Does the company's growth help justify the valuation investors are paying?
CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS INC reads 39 out of 100 on Valuation Intelligence, recorded as Elevated. The stock currently trades above most of its own recent valuation history and above comparable companies. This describes the price being paid relative to the company's financials — it is not a forecast and not a fair value.
Price data through September 11, 2026 · Financial data through the quarter ended June 30, 2026
Stored readings only. The dashed line is this company's own median for the selected measure.
Only one stored valuation reading exists so far, so there is nothing to chart yet. Valuation history builds forward from activation rather than being reconstructed.
Current P/E 57.8x · own median 59.1x · peer median 27.8x
Valuation is inherently uncertain. A stock that appears inexpensive can continue falling, and a stock that appears expensive can continue rising. Valuation Intelligence provides context about the price investors are paying — it does not predict short-term market movements, and it never produces a fair value, a price target or a buy or sell range. Model VALUATION_INTELLIGENCE_V1.
Sixth research lens · outside the score
Capital Returns Intelligence
Capital Returns Intelligence is researched separately and contributes 0% to the Suggested Investment Score, the daily rank or any ranking event.
Moderate Capital Returns
—
Not Applicable — No Dividend
Dividend reliability
This company currently retains rather than distributes cash through dividends. Capital Returns Intelligence therefore places more emphasis on its other measurable shareholder-return behaviors according to the frozen V1 methodology.
30
Limited Capital Returns
Do buybacks actually reduce shares?
The company spends on share repurchases, but much of that activity offsets share issuance rather than materially reducing the share count.
44
Moderate Capital Returns
Is your ownership share protected?
88
Exceptional Capital Returns
Can the cash flow support it?
36
Limited Capital Returns
Cash returned versus company value
CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS INC reads 50 out of 100 on Capital Returns Intelligence (Moderate Capital Returns), reflecting no measurable direct capital returns. Direct capital returns are limited because the company continues reinvesting most of its cash.
This company currently retains rather than distributes cash through dividends. Capital Returns Intelligence therefore places more emphasis on its other measurable shareholder-return behaviors according to the frozen V1 methodology.
This company spent cash repurchasing stock, but the share count did not fall meaningfully because it also issued shares. Repurchase spending alone did not increase existing shareholders' ownership.
How returned cash was used
Dividends $0.00 · net repurchases $643.61M · total returned $643.61M · 38% of free cash flow
Price data through September 11, 2026 · Financial data through the quarter ended June 30, 2026
Stored readings only. History builds forward from activation rather than being reconstructed.
Only one stored reading exists for this measure so far, so there is nothing to chart yet.
A very high dividend yield may reflect a falling share price or an unsustainable payout. Capital Returns Intelligence emphasizes consistency and sustainability rather than simply rewarding the highest yield.
Announced or gross buyback spending does not always mean shareholders are gaining ownership. Companies can simultaneously issue shares through employee compensation or acquisitions. Suggested Investments therefore considers actual share-count changes alongside repurchase spending.
Capital Returns Intelligence describes how a company returns capital to shareholders. It is not a measure of stock-price performance, it does not predict future returns, and a strong reading is never a recommendation to buy. Dividends and repurchases can be reduced or stopped at any time. Model CAPITAL_RETURNS_INTELLIGENCE_V1, contributing 0% to the Suggested Investment Score.
Stored daily snapshots only
| Today | #177 | Score 62 |
|---|---|---|
| 30 days ago | Not ranked | No stored score |
| 90 days ago | Not ranked | No stored score |
| First suggested | September 12, 2026 | |
| Highest rank | #177 | |
In the company’s own words
This Annual Report and the documents incorporated by reference in this Annual Report contain statements that are not historical in nature, are predictive, or that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions or contain other forward-looking statements. Statements including, but not limited to, statements regarding artificial intelligence ("AI"), other technological and market advancements and their impacts on our business; the extent, timing and mix of future revenues and customer demand; the deployment of our products and services; the impact of the macroeconomic and geopolitical environment, including but not limited to, expanded trade controls, tariffs, conflicts around the world, volatility in foreign currency exchange rates, inflation and changes in interest rates; the impact of government actions; future costs, expenses, tax rates and uses of cash; pending legal, administrative and tax proceedings; restructuring actions and associated charges and benefits; pending acquisitions, accounting for acquisitions and integration of acquired businesses; and other statements using words such as "anticipates," "believes," "could," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "intends," "may," "plans," "projects," "should," "targets," "will" and "would," and words of similar import and the negatives thereof, constitute forward-looking statements. These statements are predictions based upon our current expectations about future events. Actual results could vary materially as a result of certain factors, including but not limited to those expressed in these statements. Important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those identified in the "Proprietary Technology," "Governmental Regulations," "Competition," "Risk Factors," "Critical Accounting Estimates," "Results of Operations," "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk" and "Liquidity and Capital Resources" sections contained in this Annual Report and the risks discussed in our other Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings.
We urge you to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to our company or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report are made only as of the date of this Annual Report. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update these forward-looking statements.
Cadence is a global technology leader that develops computational, AI-driven software, accelerated hardware, and silicon intellectual property ("IP") products and solutions. Our customers include semiconductor companies that design and manufacture integrated circuits ("ICs"), as well as systems companies that design and manufacture electromechanical systems containing various types of semiconductor and other electronics. Our products and solutions empower our customers to design and verify and bring to life new and innovative products. Our mission is to empower the world’s most innovative companies to deliver extraordinary electronic products that drive the global economy and improve everyday life.
Designing even the simplest electronic systems is a sophisticated process that requires highly skilled engineers with specialized expertise. Our Intelligent System Design ("ISD") strategy enables us to address our customers' most challenging product development needs while expanding our capabilities beyond traditional chip design to encompass full electromechanical systems. By leveraging our deep expertise, we develop industry-leading computational AI-driven software, accelerated hardware, and IP solutions that adapt to our customers’ evolving design requirements. This flexibility helps our customers address critical business priorities such as reducing time-to-market and advancing sustainability goals. To address the growing complexity of modern design, we’ve integrated cutting-edge technologies including agentic and generative AI, machine learning, and digital twin algorithms, into our core products and solutions. These innovations, whether developed in-house or through strategic acquisition, empower our customers to achieve their business objectives with greater efficiency and precision.
Quoted from the business section of this company’s 10-K filed February 19, 2026. Read the filing
Four distinct intelligence areas
75
Fundamentally Qualified
+30.9 vs Jun 30, 2026
Business Quality qualification score from the locked IA Defensive Research Core. Price Risk stays a separate category and is never blended in.
As of Sep 11, 2026
63
Elite Compounder
No prior period to compare
Durable business economics and reinvestment characteristics. Independent external validation is pending.
As of Sep 11, 2026
47
Middle
No prior period to compare
Direction and breadth of change in underlying business fundamentals. Not a price-momentum signal.
As of Sep 11, 2026
60
Mid range
0 vs Jun 30, 2026
Only 5 tracked managers disclosed a position — treat as limited coverage.
As of Sep 11, 2026
Company intelligence
Each area is measured and reported separately. No combined score exists.
CDNS intelligence history from 2023-09-30 to 2026-09-11. Risk Intelligence 74.9 on 2026-09-11, up 30.9 from 44 on 2026-06-30. Long-Term Potential 63 on 2026-09-11. Fundamental Momentum 47.4 on 2026-09-11. Elite Investor Activity 60 on 2026-09-11, unchanged 0 from 60 on 2026-06-30. Each area is reported separately and is never combined into a single score.
Risk Intelligence 74.9 as of Sep 11, 2026 (+30.9 vs prior period) · Production core
Long-Term Potential 63 as of Sep 11, 2026 · Research model
Fundamental Momentum 47.4 as of Sep 11, 2026 · Research model
Elite Investor Activity 60 as of Sep 11, 2026 (0 vs prior period) · Supplemental
Share price
Closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends, through Sep 11, 2026. Past prices do not indicate future results.
Last stored close $289.37 · -18.4% over the selected range · 52 sessions shown
Balanced evidence
Risk and uncertainty
Public filings · descriptive only
Reporting holders
16
New holders
11
Increasing
0
Reducing
3
Exiting
2
Coverage
Excellent
Positive disclosed activity · Report period 2022-12-31 · Public 12/19/2023
| Manager | Change | Portfolio weight | Rank | Disclosed |
|---|
Insufficient high-confidence manager coverage.
Objective stored changes
IA Defensive improved
Business Quality qualification score moved from 44.0 to 46.7.
IA Defensive weakened
Business Quality qualification score moved from 47.7 to 44.0.
Elite Investor Consensus strengthened
Disclosed agreement among tracked managers moved from 40 to 60 for the reporting period ending 2026-06-30.
Elite Investor Consensus weakened
Disclosed agreement among tracked managers moved from 75 to 40 for the reporting period ending 2026-03-31.
Elite Investor Consensus strengthened
Disclosed agreement among tracked managers moved from 70 to 80 for the reporting period ending 2025-09-30.
Elite Investor Consensus strengthened
Disclosed agreement among tracked managers moved from 60 to 70 for the reporting period ending 2025-06-30.
Elite Investor Consensus strengthened
Disclosed agreement among tracked managers moved from 50 to 60 for the reporting period ending 2025-03-31.
Elite Investor Consensus weakened
Disclosed agreement among tracked managers moved from 80 to 50 for the reporting period ending 2024-12-31.
Tracked managers initiated positions
4 tracked managers first disclosed a position for the reporting period ending 2024-09-30.
No high-confidence public ownership events are available.
General research only. Not personalized advice. Public filings may be delayed, amended, incomplete, or reflect positions that have changed since the reporting date.