Rosenblatt Capital Markets upgraded Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) to a Buy rating from Neutral after the chip design software company reported fourth-quarter results that outperformed expectations and signaled continued demand tied to AI initiatives and advanced chip development. The upgrade came alongside an increase in the brokerage's price target and higher multi-year forecasts, and Cadence shares rose more than 5% in premarket trading on the news.
Analyst action and target revision
In its note, Rosenblatt raised its price objective to $360 from $335 and boosted its earnings and revenue projections for 2026 and 2027. The firm pointed to a combination of revenue expansion, a sequentially larger backlog and sustained adoption of AI-related tools as justification for moving the rating higher, while also noting the stock's pullback since September as an entry opportunity.
Quarterly results
Cadence reported non-GAAP earnings of $1.99 per share for the quarter, ahead of consensus estimates of $1.91. Revenue increased to $1.44 billion from $1.356 billion in the year-ago quarter, beating the $1.42 billion consensus figure.
Rosenblatt characterized fourth-quarter revenue growth at approximately 6.2% year on year, describing the comparison as challenging. The brokerage attributed the gain to demand across lower-node chip designs, AI-related projects, systems customers and intellectual property sales.
Backlog and geographic mix
Backlog rose about 11% sequentially to $7.8 billion and was up 14.7% versus the prior year, the note said, providing visibility into roughly 67% of Cadence's 2026 revenue. The firm also reported that China accounted for 13% of quarterly revenue.
Rosenblatt added that Cadence's initial outlook for 2026 is typically conservative and does not yet reflect the pending simulation business acquisition from Hexagon, which is expected to be roughly $3.2 billion and to close in the coming weeks.
Outlook and market reactions
For 2026, Cadence provided guidance for first-quarter non-GAAP earnings in a range of $1.89 to $1.95 per share, above consensus expectations of $1.81. The company projected full-year non-GAAP earnings of $8.05 to $8.15 per share on revenue of $5.9 billion to $6.0 billion, broadly in line with street estimates.
Other brokerages also responded positively. Wolfe Research described the quarter as Cadence’s largest quarterly beat, citing record backlog and an FY26 outlook that exceeded expectations. Bank of America maintained its Buy rating, noting a strong demand outlook that it said was insulated from disruption, while trimming its price target to $375 from $400.
Investors will be watching how the pending acquisition and the magnitude of AI-related tool adoption affect Cadence's revenue mix and longer-term projections as 2026 progresses.