Cadence Design Systems Inc vs United Microelectronics Corp — how do they compare? Cadence Design Systems Inc trades at $376.5 (market cap $104.24B), while United Microelectronics Corp trades at $25.44 (market cap $59.23B). The key difference: Cadence Design Systems Inc is the larger of the two by market cap, and United Microelectronics Corp pays a 1.73% dividend while Cadence Design Systems Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CDNS | UMC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $104.24B | $59.23B |
Sector | Technology | Technology |
52-Week High | $416.39 | $28.02 |
52-Week Low | $265.66 | $6.58 |
Enterprise Value | $105.91B | $56.81B |
Dividend Yield | — | 1.73% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) trades at $377.92, down 1.63% on the day, with strong analyst support (84% buy ratings) and a $400.25 consensus price target. The stock shows bullish technical signals with support at $373 and resistance at $385. Recent quarterly earnings have consistently beaten expectations, with Q2 2026 results expected on July 27, 2026. Revenue growth remains robust, climbing from $3.6B in 2022 to $5.3B in 2025, though profit margins have moderated slightly.
CDNS presents a compelling growth story driven by AI and semiconductor design demand, with upside to analyst targets. However, high valuation multiples (P/E 88.09, P/S 18.68) pose risks if growth slows. Key near-term catalyst is Q2 earnings; sustained execution is critical to justify premium valuation amid competitive pressures.
UMC trades at $23.46, down 3.62% over the past day, with a bearish technical signal despite recent earnings beats. The company reported Q1 2026 EPS of $0.20, exceeding expectations of $0.12, and announced a $0.41 dividend payable in August 2026. Revenue grew to $237.55 billion in 2025, though net income margin has declined from 32.1% in 2022 to 16.99% in 2025. Positive developments include mass production of silicon photonics ICs and a new 14nm eHV FinFET platform.
Outlook remains mixed with strong operational cash flow and technological advancements balanced against high valuation multiples and margin compression. Key risks include competitive pressures in semiconductor foundry markets and sensitivity to global economic cycles. Analyst consensus is cautious with 53.3% hold ratings, suggesting limited near-term upside despite solid fundamentals.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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.
Read more on UMC →