VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Stock Comparison

Cadence Design Systems, Inc. vs Guidewire Software, Inc.

Compare moat strength, market structure, and segment coverage to understand how each company defends its edge.

Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

CDNS · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$89.1B
Gross margin (TTM)87.8%
Operating margin (TTM)28.5%
Net margin (TTM)20.4%
SectorTechnology
IndustrySoftware - Application
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-29
Moat score
84/ 100

Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.

Full stock profile

Dive deeper into Cadence Design Systems, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View CDNS analysis

Guidewire Software, Inc.

GWRE · New York Stock Exchange

Market cap (USD)$15.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
Operating margin (TTM)
Net margin (TTM)
SectorTechnology
Industry
CountryUS
Data as of2026-01-11
Moat score
63/ 100

Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.

Full stock profile

Dive deeper into Guidewire Software, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View GWRE analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Cadence Design Systems, Inc. leads (84 / 100 vs 63 / 100 for Guidewire Software, Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Cadence Design Systems, Inc. has 3 segments (71% in Core EDA); Guidewire Software, Inc. has 2 segments (81.8% in Core P&C insurance platform software (InsuranceSuite, InsuranceNow, Guidewire Cloud Platform)).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Oligopoly. Pricing power: Strong vs Moderate.
  • Moat breadth: Cadence Design Systems, Inc. has 8 moat types across 3 domains; Guidewire Software, Inc. has 7 across 4.

Primary market context

Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

Core EDA

Market

Electronic design automation tools for semiconductor IC design and verification (digital, custom/analog, signoff, functional verification)

Geography

Global

Customer

Semiconductor designers (fabless and IDMs) and system companies with in-house silicon teams

Role

Tool vendor / workflow platform

Revenue share

71%

Guidewire Software, Inc.

Core P&C insurance platform software (InsuranceSuite, InsuranceNow, Guidewire Cloud Platform)

Market

Property & casualty insurance core systems platforms (policy administration, claims, billing) with cloud delivery

Geography

Global

Customer

Property & casualty insurers (global carriers to regional/local providers)

Role

Vertical enterprise application vendor / cloud platform operator

Revenue share

81.8%

Side-by-side metrics

Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Guidewire Software, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
CDNS - NASDAQ
GWRE - New York Stock Exchange
Market cap (USD)
$89.1B
$15.7B
Gross margin (TTM)
87.8%
n/a
Operating margin (TTM)
28.5%
n/a
Net margin (TTM)
20.4%
n/a
Sector
Technology
Technology
Industry
Software - Application
n/a
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
Core EDA
Core P&C insurance platform software (InsuranceSuite, InsuranceNow, Guidewire Cloud Platform)
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
29%-31% (estimated)
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Strong
Moderate
Moat score
84 / 100
63 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Legal, Supply
Demand, Network, Legal, Supply
Last update
2025-12-29
2026-01-11

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Suite BundlingLong Term ContractsDesign In QualificationCapex Knowhow Scale

Cadence Design Systems, Inc. strengths

Data Workflow LockinInstalled Base ConsumablesIP Choke PointService Field Network

Guidewire Software, Inc. strengths

Switching Costs GeneralEcosystem ComplementsCompliance Advantage

Segment mix

Cadence Design Systems, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Core EDA

Oligopoly

71%

Semiconductor IP

Oligopoly

13%

System Design and Analysis

Competitive

16%

Guidewire Software, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Core P&C insurance platform software (InsuranceSuite, InsuranceNow, Guidewire Cloud Platform)

Oligopoly

81.8%

Professional services (implementation, cloud migration, integration)

Competitive

18.2%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

Browse the full ranking of wide moat stocks, updated with moat scores and segment context.

View the moat stocks list

Looking for expansion-stage stocks?

Proven models entering the expansion stage with unit economics that work.

View expansion-stage stocks

Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.