Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Boosts Stake in Synopsys, Inc. $SNPS

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. significantly boosted its Synopsys stake by 357.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 41,851 additional shares and lifting its position to 53,568 shares worth about $25.2 million.
• Synopsys is still drawing strong institutional interest overall, with 85.47% of the stock owned by hedge funds and other institutions, even as some smaller funds also added positions.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $536, while recent reports have ranged from cautious “neutral/equal weight” views to a bullish $600 target from Goldman Sachs.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ:SNPS - Free Report) by 357.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 53,568 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 41,851 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Synopsys were worth $25,162,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Synopsys in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in Synopsys in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. raised its position in Synopsys by 3,700.0% in the 4th quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 76 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in Synopsys in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, WealthCollab LLC raised its position in Synopsys by 110.8% in the 3rd quarter. WealthCollab LLC now owns 78 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. 85.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on SNPS shares. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Synopsys from $520.00 to $430.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Synopsys in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Synopsys from $450.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Synopsys and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $480.00 target price (down from $550.00) on shares of Synopsys in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $536.00.

Synopsys News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Synopsys this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Synopsys continues to draw support from its strong Q1 FY26 report, which showed about 65% year-over-year revenue growth and higher non-GAAP EPS, reinforcing confidence in demand for its chip-design software. A Look At Synopsys (SNPS) Valuation After Strong Q1 FY26 Results And Ansys Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also focusing on the Ansys acquisition, which expands Synopsys’ addressable market and could support longer-term revenue growth and cross-selling opportunities. A Look At Synopsys (SNPS) Valuation After Strong Q1 FY26 Results And Ansys Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Some recent commentary argues SNPS could have further upside over the next 12 months, citing AI-driven chip-design demand and the integration of Ansys as key drivers. Prediction: Synopsys Could Hit $600+ in 12 Months and Here’s Why
• Neutral Sentiment: Synopsys is also being discussed in valuation-versus-peers pieces, including comparisons with Progress Software and Simulations Plus, which may influence investor sentiment but do not point to a clear near-term catalyst. PRGS or SNPS: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now? Synopsys NASDAQ: SNPS vs. Simulations Plus NASDAQ: SLP Critical Review
• Negative Sentiment: On the cautious side, some articles argue SNPS may be expensive below $500 and say the stock’s AI narrative may be richer than the fundamentals justify, which could weigh on sentiment. Buy, Sell or Hold Synopsis Below $500?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting that Synopsys is projected to report earnings soon may keep traders focused on the upcoming print, but it is more of a watch item than a direct catalyst today. Synopsys (SNPS) Projected to Post Earnings on Wednesday

Synopsys Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SNPS opened at $493.87 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $94.61 billion, a PE ratio of 76.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 1.25. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $446.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $449.82. Synopsys, Inc. has a one year low of $376.18 and a one year high of $651.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.36.

Synopsys (NASDAQ:SNPS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The semiconductor company reported $3.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.56 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $2.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.39 billion. Synopsys had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 6.83%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 65.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.03 earnings per share. Synopsys has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.380-14.460 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.110-3.170 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Synopsys, Inc. will post 10.3 EPS for the current year.

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc is a leading provider of electronic design automation (EDA) software and semiconductor intellectual property (IP) used to design, verify and manufacture integrated circuits and complex systems-on-chip (SoCs). Its product portfolio spans tools and technologies for front‑end design and synthesis, simulation and verification, physical implementation and signoff, and design-for-manufacturability, enabling chip designers to move from architecture through tape‑out.

In addition to core EDA offerings, Synopsys supplies a broad set of semiconductor IP building blocks — such as interface, memory and analog/mixed-signal cores — that customers integrate into SoCs to accelerate development.

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