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Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

Cadence Design Systems vs Fortinet: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Fortinet holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and growth. The market setup is mixed, without a decisive signal in either direction. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-07-05

This is not just a one-metric split: both profitability and growth materially support the lead. The overall score gap is 13 points in favour of Fortinet, Inc..

Trajectory Similarity
0.71
Similar
Peer-set rank: #15
within Cadence Design Systems, Inc.'s functional peer set

This pair is matched through long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

The pair sits on a clearly comparable long-term path, though it is not a near-twin match.

Most of the shared profile comes through recent revenue growth and operating margin level.

Similarity drivers
recent revenue growthoperating margin level
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
CDNS
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
33
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
FTNT
Fortinet, Inc.
46
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: CDNS vs FTNT Profitability 21 36 Stability 41 51 Valuation 20 34 Growth 61 75 CDNS FTNT
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +15
#2 Growth +14
#3 Valuation +14
#4 Stability +10
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for CDNS and FTNT Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer CDNSFTNT Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup remains mixed because the stronger profile and the more supportive price setup do not sit on the same side.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where CDNS and FTNT each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY CDNS Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 2 pct gap FTNT Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 97th 99th
CDNS (97th percentile) and FTNT (99th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Both sit in the weaker half on profitability, with Fortinet, Inc. still coming out ahead.
Growth
Both look solid on growth, though Fortinet, Inc. still holds the stronger peer position.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
CDNS
21
FTNT
36
Gap+15in favour of FTNT

Return on equity adds support too, with a 112-point advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Cadence Design Systems, Inc. still shows lower market-fundamental divergence, which keeps the wider picture mixed rather than completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both profitability and growth, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the CDNS vs FTNT comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

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Similar profitability-and-growth comparisons

Explore how CDNS and FTNT each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.