Cadence Design Systems Inc vs Western Digital Corp — how do they compare? Cadence Design Systems Inc trades at $376.48 (market cap $104.24B), while Western Digital Corp trades at $523 (market cap $194.17B). The key difference: Western Digital Corp is the larger of the two by market cap, and Western Digital Corp pays a 0.11% dividend while Cadence Design Systems Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CDNS | WDC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $104.24B | $194.17B |
Sector | Technology | Technology |
52-Week High | $416.39 | $746.23 |
52-Week Low | $265.66 | $66.53 |
Enterprise Value | $105.91B | $192.51B |
Dividend Yield | — | 0.11% |
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.
Western Digital (WDC) trades at $555.55, down 4.64% amid a sector-wide memory stock sell-off. The stock shows strong fundamentals with three consecutive quarterly EPS beats, a net income margin of 55.07%, and robust cash flow from operations of $1.69B in 2025. Technical indicators are bearish, with price near the pivot point of $551. Analyst sentiment remains overwhelmingly positive with a 72% buy rating and a $619.07 consensus price target, suggesting significant upside potential.
The outlook is supported by AI-driven storage demand and margin expansion, but near-term volatility from memory pricing cycles and competitive pressures poses risks. The stock's high valuation multiples require sustained earnings growth to justify further appreciation.
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 →Western Digital is a vertically integrated supplier of data storage solutions, spanning both hard disk drives and solid-state drives. In the HDD market it forms a practical duopoly with Seagate, and it is the largest global producer of NAND flash chips for SSDs in a joint venture with competitor Kioxia.
Read more on WDC →