BSY vs. CDNS: Bentley Systems vs. Cadence Design Systems Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Bentley Systems (BSY) and Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) are both classified in the Application Software sub-industry within the broader Software industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) has more than two decades of public-market history since June 10, 1987, whereas Bentley Systems (BSY) listed on September 23, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 26.03% and Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 22.87% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

For every dollar of sales, both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 19.57% and Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 22.52% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 29.81% and Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 28.93% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 10.99% and Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 14.12% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 18.06% and Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 5.45% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 1.36 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Bentley Systems (BSY) at 0.65 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for BSY.

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 0.94 and Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 0.41 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Bentley Systems (BSY) reports a yield of 0.62%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Bentley Systems (BSY) reports a payout of 27.72%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Bentley Systems (BSY) at 44.21 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 63.60 sits in the richer quartile — CDNS needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

Bentley Systems (BSY) at 8.19 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 14.31 sits in the pricier quartile — CDNS costs more per dollar of sales.

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 10.79 and Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 12.77 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

Valuation Metrics