Cadence Design Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CDNS) stock fell nearly 10% on Friday as investors sold high-valuation software stocks during a broader risk-off session. The Nasdaq was down 0.80%, while the S&P 500 lost 0.65%.
AI Disruption Pressures Cadence Stock
The technology sector extended its three-session decline, capping one of the semiconductor industry’s weakest weeks of the year.
Investor sentiment weakened after Chinese startup Moonshot AI unveiled Kimi K3 at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai.
The new 2.8-trillion-parameter model is being promoted as the world’s largest open-weight AI system. Its launch renewed concerns that increasingly powerful, lower-cost open-source AI models could erode the pricing power of leading AI companies and reduce the long-term returns hyperscalers generate from massive AI infrastructure spending.
Those fears weighed across the AI ecosystem, dragging down chipmakers, networking companies and software firms tied to semiconductor design.
Cadence, whose electronic design automation software, semiconductor intellectual property and system design tools are widely used by chipmakers to develop advanced semiconductors, was caught in the broader sell-off.
Earnings In Focus
Cadence is scheduled to report quarterly results on July 27.
Wall Street expects earnings of $1.97 per share on revenue of $1.58 billion, compared with earnings of $1.65 per share and revenue of $1.27 billion a year earlier.
The stock trades at about 85 times earnings, reflecting a premium valuation. Analysts maintain a consensus Buy rating with an average price forecast of $402.20. Recent bullish calls include Benchmark with a $450 forecast, Rosenblatt at $410 and Stifel at $432.
Technical Picture Weakens
The stock is trading 12.4% below its 20-day simple moving average and 12.6% below its 50-day moving average. It is hovering just 0.1% above its 200-day moving average, placing it near a key long-term support level.
The relative strength index stands at 27.20, indicating oversold conditions. While that does not guarantee a rebound, it suggests selling pressure may be becoming exhausted.
The 20-day moving average remains below the 50-day moving average, a bearish signal. However, the 50-day moving average continues to trade above the 200-day moving average following a golden cross formed in June, indicating the longer-term uptrend has not yet been broken.
Technical resistance is around $365, while major support sits near the 52-week low of $262.75.
CDNS Stock Price Activity: Cadence Design Systems shares were down 9.78% at $328.99 at the time of publication on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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