CDNS vs. MSTR: Cadence Design Systems vs. Strategy Stock Comparison
How do Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) and Strategy (MSTR) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.
Company Profile
Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) and Strategy (MSTR) are both classified in the Application Software sub-industry within the broader Software industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.
| Profile Item | CDNS | MSTR |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Cadence Design Systems, Inc. | Strategy Inc. |
| Country/Region | United States | United States |
| GICS Sector | Information Technology | Information Technology |
| GICS Industry Group | Software & Services | Software & Services |
| GICS Industry | Software | Software |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Application Software | Application Software |
| Market Capitalization | 87.78 billion USD | 54.57 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | Nasdaq | Nasdaq |
| Listing Date | June 10, 1987 | June 11, 1998 |
| Security Type | Common Stock | Common Stock |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | CDNS | MSTR |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | 3.07% | -48.13% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | 9.32% | 36.44% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | 12.93% | 7.87% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
Strategy (MSTR) carries a highly aggressive beta of 3.60, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) is closer to market-like at 1.09 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.
| Metric | CDNS | MSTR |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 42.21% | 82.34% |
| Beta (5Y) | 1.09 | 3.60 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -34.21% | -84.09% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 2.41M | 22.35M |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | CDNS | MSTR |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | -0.03 | -0.64 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | -0.04 | -0.97 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
Strategy (MSTR) reports a negative ROE of -21.59%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) reports 22.87%, ranking against industry peers normally.
CDNS
Software & Services industry group
22.87%
- Max
- 53.85%
- CDNS
- 22.87%
- Q3
- 17.90%
- Median
- 6.59%
- Q1
- -9.59%
- Min
- -50.52%
MSTR
Software & Services industry group
-21.59%
- Max
- 53.85%
- Q3
- 17.90%
- Median
- 6.59%
- Q1
- -9.59%
- MSTR
- -21.59%
- Min
- -50.52%
Net Margin (TTM)
Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 22.52% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Strategy (MSTR) at 0.00%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.
CDNS
Software & Services industry group
22.52%
- Max
- 41.17%
- CDNS
- 22.52%
- Q3
- 15.28%
- Median
- 4.63%
- Q1
- -5.42%
- Min
- -33.17%
MSTR
Software & Services industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 41.17%
- Q3
- 15.28%
- Median
- 4.63%
- MSTR
- 0.00%
- Q1
- -5.42%
- Min
- -33.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)
Strategy (MSTR) reports a negative operating margin of -2.07%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) reports 28.93%, ranking against industry peers normally.
CDNS
Software & Services industry group
28.93%
- Max
- 46.89%
- CDNS
- 28.93%
- Q3
- 17.64%
- Median
- 8.73%
- Q1
- -2.13%
- Min
- -30.45%
MSTR
Software & Services industry group
-2.07%
- Max
- 46.89%
- Q3
- 17.64%
- Median
- 8.73%
- MSTR
- -2.07%
- Q1
- -2.13%
- Min
- -30.45%
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | CDNS | MSTR |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | 22.87% | -21.59% |
| ROA (TTM) | 10.52% | -4.52% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | 22.52% | 0.00% |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | 28.93% | -2.07% |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | 85.68% | 67.84% |
Growth
Revenue Growth
Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 14.12% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Strategy (MSTR) at 2.97% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.
EPS Growth
Only one side can be read here: Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) reports EPS growth of 5.45%, ranked against its industry; Strategy (MSTR) has no EPS growth figure this period.
Growth Metrics
| Metric | CDNS | MSTR |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | 14.12% | 2.97% |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | 14.14% | -1.49% |
| EPS Growth (YoY) | 5.45% | -- |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | 9.53% | -- |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 1.36 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Strategy (MSTR) at 4.04 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.
CDNS
Software & Services industry group
1.36
- Max
- 5.11
- Q3
- 2.77
- Median
- 1.67
- CDNS
- 1.36
- Q1
- 1.01
- Min
- 0.03
MSTR
Software & Services industry group
4.04
- Max
- 5.11
- MSTR
- 4.04
- Q3
- 2.77
- Median
- 1.67
- Q1
- 1.01
- Min
- 0.03
Debt / Equity (MRQ)
Both Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 0.41 and Strategy (MSTR) at 0.10 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.
CDNS
Software & Services industry group
0.41
- Max
- 2.52
- Q3
- 1.13
- CDNS
- 0.41
- Median
- 0.40
- Q1
- 0.07
- Min
- 0.00
MSTR
Software & Services industry group
0.10
- Max
- 2.52
- Q3
- 1.13
- Median
- 0.40
- MSTR
- 0.10
- Q1
- 0.07
- Min
- 0.00
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | CDNS | MSTR |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | 1.36 | 4.04 |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | 0.41 | 0.10 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 0.57 | -- |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
Neither Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) nor Strategy (MSTR) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.
CDNS
Software & Services industry group
0.00%
- CDNS
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
MSTR
Software & Services industry group
0.00%
- MSTR
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
Neither Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) nor Strategy (MSTR) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.
CDNS
Software & Services industry group
0.00%
- CDNS
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
MSTR
Software & Services industry group
0.00%
- MSTR
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | CDNS | MSTR |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) trades at 63.60 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Strategy (MSTR) has no P/E ratio this period.
CDNS
Software & Services industry group
63.60
- Max
- 112.94
- CDNS
- 63.60
- Q3
- 60.32
- Median
- 32.91
- Q1
- 18.77
- Min
- 6.69
MSTR
Software & Services industry group
--
- Max
- 112.94
- Q3
- 60.32
- Median
- 32.91
- Q1
- 18.77
- Min
- 6.69
- MSTR
- --
P/S Ratio (TTM)
Both look expensive on sales: Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 14.31 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Strategy (MSTR) at 110.23 prices even higher, above its industry range.
CDNS
Software & Services industry group
14.31
- Max
- 17.91
- CDNS
- 14.31
- Q3
- 8.78
- Median
- 4.25
- Q1
- 2.23
- Min
- 0.02
MSTR
Software & Services industry group
110.23
- MSTR
- 110.23
- Max
- 17.91
- Q3
- 8.78
- Median
- 4.25
- Q1
- 2.23
- Min
- 0.02
P/B Ratio (MRQ)
Strategy (MSTR) at 0.98 looks cheap against book in the lower P/B ratio quartile, while Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) at 12.77 carries a premium in the upper quartile — a clear price-to-book gap.
CDNS
Software & Services industry group
12.77
- Max
- 16.63
- CDNS
- 12.77
- Q3
- 8.50
- Median
- 4.30
- Q1
- 1.92
- Min
- -3.90
MSTR
Software & Services industry group
0.98
- Max
- 16.63
- Q3
- 8.50
- Median
- 4.30
- Q1
- 1.92
- MSTR
- 0.98
- Min
- -3.90
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | CDNS | MSTR |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | 63.60 | -- |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 14.31 | 110.23 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | 12.77 | 0.98 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | 1.99% | -5.94% |