BofA Upgrades Synopsys to Neutral Ahead of Earnings

Core Viewpoint - BofA Securities upgraded Synopsys to Neutral from Underperform, lowering the price target to $500 from $525, citing the upcoming earnings call as a potential clarifier for concerns regarding China-related weakness and integration costs from the Ansys acquisition [1] Group 1: Revenue and Earnings Forecasts - Revenue expectations for FY26 and FY27 remain largely intact, but EPS forecasts were trimmed by 4% for both years due to uncertainties surrounding cost synergies from the Ansys acquisition [2] - Sentiment catalysts are building, including Nvidia's proposed $2 billion equity investment and Intel's potential traction at its 18A and 14A nodes [2] Group 2: Valuation and Market Position - Synopsys is highlighted as having a valuation discount relative to peer Cadence, with a current 10-turn PE gap exceeding the historical 6-turn spread [3] - The revised price target of $500 reflects a 34x CY26 earnings multiple, consistent with the historical range of 24x to 46x [3] - Shares of Synopsys show catch-up potential after underperforming year-to-date [3] Group 3: Risks - Risks include heavy exposure to China IP and integration challenges with Ansys [3]