Cadence Design Systems Inc vs Smith & Nephew plc — how do they compare? Cadence Design Systems Inc trades at $327.4 (market cap $91.41B), while Smith & Nephew plc trades at $30.05 (market cap $12.50B). The key difference: Cadence Design Systems Inc is far larger — about 7.3× Smith & Nephew plc's market cap, and Smith & Nephew plc pays a 2.64% dividend while Cadence Design Systems Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CDNS | SNN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $91.41B | $12.50B |
Sector | Technology | Health |
52-Week High | $416.39 | $38.70 |
52-Week Low | $265.66 | $28.73 |
Enterprise Value | $92.62B | $15.53B |
Dividend Yield | — | 2.64% |
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).
SNN trades at $30.11, up 1.41% in the last session. Technical indicators are bearish, with moving averages signaling a downtrend. Fundamentally, the company reported Q2 2026 revenue growth of 1.6% but cut its full-year outlook to 4% from 6% due to weakness in U.S. Orthopaedics and Advanced Wound Bioactives (MarketBeat, 2026-08-09). Recent product launches include the LYNX COBLATION Wand and CORI XT robotics platform, supporting innovation in medical technology.
The outlook is mixed: strong profitability margins and recent earnings beats offer support, but lowered guidance and bearish technicals pose near-term headwinds. Risks include execution challenges in key markets, while analyst consensus leans Hold, reflecting cautious optimism amid growth uncertainties.
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 →Smith & Nephew designs, manufactures, and markets orthopedic devices, sports medicine and arthroscopic technologies, and wound-care solutions. Roughly 42% of the U.K.-based firm's revenue comes from orthopedic products, and another 30% is sports medicine and ENT. The remaining 28% of revenue is from the advanced wound therapy segment. Roughly half of Smith & Nephew's total revenue comes from the United States, just over 30% is from other developed markets, and emerging markets account for the remainder.
Read more on SNN →