Cadence Design Systems Inc vs United Microelectronics Corp — how do they compare? Cadence Design Systems Inc trades at $328.35 (market cap $91.41B), while United Microelectronics Corp trades at $19.36 (market cap $47.80B). The key difference: Cadence Design Systems Inc is the larger of the two by market cap, and United Microelectronics Corp pays a 2.13% dividend while Cadence Design Systems Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CDNS | UMC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $91.41B | $47.80B |
Sector | Technology | Technology |
52-Week High | $416.39 | $28.02 |
52-Week Low | $265.66 | $6.58 |
Enterprise Value | $92.62B | $44.92B |
Dividend Yield | — | 2.13% |
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).
UMC trades at $18.72, down 2.5% today, amid a bearish technical signal with key resistance at $19. The company reported strong Q2 2026 earnings, beating EPS estimates with $0.54 vs. $0.16 expected, and announced fab expansions in Singapore and Taiwan to meet AI-driven demand. Revenue growth is projected to rise to $250.7B in 2026, with a net income margin of 32.75%, though profit margins have declined from 2022 peaks. Analyst sentiment is mixed, with 26.7% buy ratings but a majority hold consensus.
The outlook for UMC is cautiously optimistic, driven by AI expansion and solid profitability, but risks include competitive pressures and margin compression. Near-term price action hinges on breaking resistance at $19, with support at $18. Institutional activity shows mixed positioning, reflecting uncertainty over execution amid capital expenditure increases.
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 →Founded in 1980, United Microelectronics is the world's third-largest dedicated chip foundry, with 7% market share in 2021, according to Gartner, after TSMC and GlobalFoundries. UMC's headquarters are in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and it operates 12 fabs in Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan and Singapore, with additional sales offices in Europe, the U.S. and South Korea. UMC features a diverse customer base including Texas Instruments, MediaTek, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Xilinx and Realtek, supplying a wide range of products applied in communications, display, memory, automotive and more. UMC employs about 20,000 people.
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