Cadence Design Systems Inc vs Carlyle Group Inc — how do they compare? Cadence Design Systems Inc trades at $328.31 (market cap $91.41B), while Carlyle Group Inc trades at $48.27 (market cap $17.20B). The key difference: Cadence Design Systems Inc is far larger — about 5.3× Carlyle Group Inc's market cap, and Carlyle Group Inc pays a 2.93% dividend while Cadence Design Systems Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CDNS | CG | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $91.41B | $17.20B |
Sector | Technology | Financials |
52-Week High | $416.39 | $69.35 |
52-Week Low | $265.66 | $40.52 |
Enterprise Value | $92.62B | — |
Dividend Yield | — | 2.93% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) trades at $339.24, up 0.24% on the day, with a neutral technical signal and strong fundamental performance. The stock has consistently beaten earnings estimates in recent quarters, with Q2 2026 EPS of $2.11 surpassing expectations. Revenue growth is robust, driven by AI demand, with 2025 revenue reaching $5.30 billion and a net income margin of 23.61%. Analyst sentiment is overwhelmingly positive, with 83.87% recommending Buy and a consensus price target of $415.11.
The outlook for CDNS is favorable, supported by strong AI-driven demand, record backlog of $8.1 billion as of Q2 2026 (Zacks Investment Research, 2026-07-30), and upwardly revised guidance. Risks include high valuation multiples, such as a P/E of 67.44, and potential market volatility amid semiconductor sector fluctuations. Institutional confidence remains high, with Amundi increasing its stake by 3.8% in Q1 2026 (Defense World, 2026-07-30).
CG trades at $47.79, down 2.23% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and support at $47. Recent Q2 2026 earnings beat expectations (EPS $1.07 vs. $0.911), though revenue declined to $2.9B in 2026. The company maintains a strong net income margin of 18.85% and announced strategic partnerships, including a $600M deal with Prime Capital Financial (Business Wire, 2026-08-06).
Outlook is mixed: analyst consensus is bullish with a $59.14 price target (53.84% buy ratings), but risks include volatile cash flow from operations (-$4.2B in 2026) and high P/E of 49.78. Investors may see upside from fundraising strength, though margin compression and macroeconomic headwinds warrant caution.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Cadence Design Systems is a provider of electronic design automation software, intellectual property, and system design and analysis products. EDA software automates the chip design process, enhancing design accuracy, productivity, and complexity in a full-flow end-to-end solution. Cadence offers a portfolio of design IP, as well as system design and analysis products, which enable system-level analysis and verification solutions. Cadence's comprehensive portfolio is benefiting from a mutual convergence of semiconductor companies moving up-stack toward systems-like companies, and systems companies moving down-stack toward in-house chip design. The resulting expansion in EDA customers, alongside secular digitalization of various end markets, benefits EDA vendors like Cadence.
Read more on CDNS →The Carlyle Group is one of the world's largest alternative-asset managers, with $376.4 billion in total assets under management, including $259.6 billion in fee-earning AUM, at the end of June 2022. The company has three core business segments: private equity, which includes private equity, real estate, infrastructure and natural resources funds (accounting for 41% of fee-earning AUM and 65% of base management fees during 2021), global credit (45% and 24%) and investment solutions (14% and 11%). The firm primarily serves institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals. Carlyle operates through 29 offices across five continents, serving close to 2,700 active carry fund investors from 95 countries.
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