Cadence Design Systems vs Zoom Communications
Cadence Design Systems reported revenue of $5.3 billion in fiscal 2025, about the same as Zoom Communications' $4.9 billion in fiscal 2026. Cadence Design Systems' revenue grew 14.1% in its latest year, and Zoom Communications' grew 4.4%. Cadence Design Systems had an operating margin of 28.2%, against 23.1% at Zoom Communications. Free cash flow was $1.6 billion at Cadence Design Systems and $1.9 billion at Zoom Communications. Their fiscal years end in different months (December 31 and January 31), so the periods don't line up exactly.
Side by side
| Cadence Design Systems | Zoom Communications | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest fiscal year | FY2025, Dec 31, 2025 | FY2026, Jan 31, 2026 |
| Revenue | $5.3B | $4.9B |
| Revenue growth | 14.1% | 4.4% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 5 years | 14.6% | 12.9% |
| Gross margin | — | 77.0% |
| Operating margin | 28.2% | 23.1% |
| Net margin | 20.9% | 39.0% |
| Free cash flow | $1.6B | $1.9B |
| Free cash flow margin | 30.0% | 39.5% |
| Return on capital | 23.7% | 56.2% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | −0.4x | −6.2x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $925M | $1.6B |
| Change in diluted share count | −0.2% | −2.5% |
| Last close | $322.17 | $98.04 |
| P/E at the last close | 75.1× | 9.1× |
| Insider trades, last 12 months | sold $104.2 million | sold $81.5 million |
| Piotroski F-score | 5 of 8 | 6 of 9 |
Amounts in each company's own currency, US$ unless marked (a foreign company may report in another), each company's latest fiscal year from its 10-K, or 20-F or 40-F for a foreign company. Growth rates compare with the year before; the five-year rate is the average a year. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending; return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business; P/E is the last close over the latest earnings per share. Banks are measured differently (return on equity, efficiency ratio), so some rows apply to one company only.
Ten years
Revenue
US$ billions, fiscal years
Cadence Design SystemsZoom Communications
Operating margin
Percent of revenue
Cadence Design SystemsZoom Communications
Free cash flow
US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure.
Cadence Design SystemsZoom Communications
Source: the companies' Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR, and the last close. For information only, not investment advice: the figures describe results, not which company is the better investment. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with either company. Full figures on the Cadence Design Systems and Zoom Communications pages.