NOW vs. SNPS: ServiceNow vs. Synopsys Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do ServiceNow (NOW) and Synopsys (SNPS) 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

ServiceNow (NOW) and Synopsys (SNPS) both belong to the Software industry, though NOW is classified under Systems Software while SNPS falls under Application Software.

Company profile comparison for ServiceNow (NOW) and Synopsys (SNPS)
Profile Item	NOW	SNPS
Name	ServiceNow Inc.	Synopsys 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	Systems Software	Application Software
Market Capitalization	105.84 billion USD	86.32 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	June 29, 2012	February 26, 1992
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

NOW

SNPS

GSPC

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. Synopsys (SNPS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for ServiceNow (NOW) and Synopsys (SNPS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for ServiceNow (NOW) and Synopsys (SNPS). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and Synopsys (SNPS)
Metric	NOW	SNPS
Total Return (1Y)	-39.72%	18.77%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-5.71%	-2.57%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-5.55%	6.06%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

NOW

SNPS

GSPC

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. Synopsys (SNPS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for ServiceNow (NOW) and Synopsys (SNPS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and Synopsys (SNPS)
Metric	NOW	SNPS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	64.49%	45.03%
Beta (5Y)	0.98	1.17
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-64.54%	-43.02%
Avg. Volume (3M)	15.74M	2.11M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

NOW and SNPS are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and Synopsys (SNPS)
Metric	NOW	SNPS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.68	0.32
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.89	0.49

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both ServiceNow (NOW) at 11.85% and Synopsys (SNPS) at 3.66% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

11.85%

Max: 53.85%
Q3: 17.90%
NOW: 11.85%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

SNPS

Software & Services industry group

3.66%

Max: 53.85%
Q3: 17.90%
Median: 6.59%
SNPS: 3.66%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. Synopsys (SNPS): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both ServiceNow (NOW) at 9.36% and Synopsys (SNPS) at 11.43% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

9.36%

Max: 41.17%
Q3: 15.28%
NOW: 9.36%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

SNPS

Software & Services industry group

11.43%

Max: 41.17%
Q3: 15.28%
SNPS: 11.43%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. Synopsys (SNPS): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both ServiceNow (NOW) at 17.39% and Synopsys (SNPS) at 14.52% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

17.39%

Max: 46.89%
Q3: 17.64%
NOW: 17.39%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

SNPS

Software & Services industry group

14.52%

Max: 46.89%
Q3: 17.64%
SNPS: 14.52%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. Synopsys (SNPS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and Synopsys (SNPS)
Metric	NOW	SNPS
ROE (TTM)	11.85%	3.66%
ROA (TTM)	4.59%	1.35%
Net Margin (TTM)	9.36%	11.43%
Operating Margin (TTM)	17.39%	14.52%
Gross Margin (TTM)	73.08%	82.92%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both ServiceNow (NOW) at 20.88% and Synopsys (SNPS) at 15.12% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. Synopsys (SNPS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

ServiceNow (NOW) at 22.08% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Synopsys (SNPS) at -44.59% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. Synopsys (SNPS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and Synopsys (SNPS)
Metric	NOW	SNPS
Revenue Growth (YoY)	20.88%	15.12%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	22.38%	15.19%
EPS Growth (YoY)	22.08%	-44.59%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	73.46%	8.53%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Synopsys (SNPS) at 1.34 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while ServiceNow (NOW) at 0.72 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for NOW.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

0.72

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
NOW: 0.72
Min: 0.03

SNPS

Software & Services industry group

1.34

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
SNPS: 1.34
Q1: 1.01
Min: 0.03

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. Synopsys (SNPS): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both ServiceNow (NOW) at 0.64 and Synopsys (SNPS) at 0.35 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

0.64

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
NOW: 0.64
Median: 0.40
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

SNPS

Software & Services industry group

0.35

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.40
SNPS: 0.35
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. Synopsys (SNPS): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and Synopsys (SNPS)
Metric	NOW	SNPS
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.72	1.34
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.64	0.35
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.18	3.49

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither ServiceNow (NOW) nor Synopsys (SNPS) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

NOW: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SNPS

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

SNPS: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. Synopsys (SNPS): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither ServiceNow (NOW) nor Synopsys (SNPS) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

NOW: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SNPS

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

SNPS: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. Synopsys (SNPS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and Synopsys (SNPS)
Metric	NOW	SNPS
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both ServiceNow (NOW) at 73.36 and Synopsys (SNPS) at 79.59 sit in the richer earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, so investors are paying more for TTM earnings than they pay for typical peers.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

73.36

Max: 112.94
NOW: 73.36
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

SNPS

Software & Services industry group

79.59

Max: 112.94
SNPS: 79.59
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. Synopsys (SNPS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

ServiceNow (NOW) at 6.86 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Synopsys (SNPS) at 9.17 sits in the pricier quartile — SNPS costs more per dollar of sales.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

6.86

Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
NOW: 6.86
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

SNPS

Software & Services industry group

9.17

Max: 17.91
SNPS: 9.17
Q3: 8.78
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. Synopsys (SNPS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both ServiceNow (NOW) at 8.08 and Synopsys (SNPS) at 2.77 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

NOW

Software & Services industry group

8.08

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
NOW: 8.08
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

SNPS

Software & Services industry group

2.77

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
Median: 4.30
SNPS: 2.77
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

ServiceNow (NOW) vs. Synopsys (SNPS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for ServiceNow (NOW) and Synopsys (SNPS)
Metric	NOW	SNPS
P/E Ratio (TTM)	73.36	79.59
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.86	9.17
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	8.08	2.77
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	5.44%	3.97%