Home Compare CDNS vs MSI
Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

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

Motorola Solutions holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across stability and growth. Cadence Design Systems still has the edge on growth, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is currently leaning toward Cadence Design Systems, which does not confirm the structural lead. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with Motorola Solutions, but the market is not currently confirming it.

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 2026-05-17

The clearest score difference appears in stability, while growth still leans the other way. Motorola Solutions, Inc. leads by 12 points on the overall comparison score.

Trajectory Similarity
0.74
Similar
Peer-set rank: #9
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.

The clearest structural overlap shows up in revenue stability and investment intensity.

Similarity drivers
revenue stabilityinvestment intensity
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.
32
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
MSI
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
44
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 MSI Profitability 27 30 Stability 42 86 Valuation 20 52 Growth 51 9 CDNS MSI
Gap Ranking
#1 Stability +44
#2 Growth +42
#3 Valuation +32
#4 Profitability +3
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for CDNS and MSI Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer CDNSMSI Relative valuation Structural strength

The structural gap is limited here, but current pricing still leans against Cadence Design Systems, Inc..

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

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY CDNS Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 28 pct gap MSI Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 96th 69th
Today MSI sits in the upper-middle of its own 5-year history (69th percentile), while CDNS sits higher in its own history (96th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, MSI is at a historically more favourable entry position than CDNS. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

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

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Stability
Both profiles are strong on stability, but Motorola Solutions, Inc. leads clearly.
Growth
On growth, Cadence Design Systems, Inc. is positioned higher in the group, while Motorola Solutions, Inc. is closer to the middle.
Stability — Dominant Gap
CDNS
42
MSI
86
Gap+44in favour of MSI

The stability gap is very wide, with the stronger side looking materially steadier through time.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Earnings growth also leans toward CDNS, which keeps the score lead from reading as a full growth sweep.

What this means for the comparison

The stability edge is decisive, even though current pricing and growth still lean somewhat toward Cadence Design Systems, Inc..

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

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Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how CDNS and MSI 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.