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CEVA
CEVA, Inc. · Technology - Semiconductor IP
$44.56
-2.41% this month
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ARM
Arm Holdings plc · Technology - Semiconductor IP
$300.24
-13.32% this month
Scoreboard verdict
Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin
CEVA
2
ARM
2
Comparison scoreboard
MIXED SETUPAI Score
CEVA 34.8
ARM ✓41.6
1Y Return
CEVA +95.95%
ARM ✓+103.15%
Fwd P/E
CEVA ✓54.35
ARM 97.45
Target Up.
CEVA ✓+3.48%
ARM -0.47%
Op. Margin
CEVA N/A
ARM N/A
Metrics last refreshed: 7/9/2026
Quick take
CEVA vs ARM Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
ARM is the dominant global semiconductor IP company licensing processor architectures in virtually every mobile device and increasingly in servers and AI chips, while CEVA is a smaller, more specialized IP licensor focused on DSP architectures and wireless connectivity IP (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi). Both operate the high-margin IP licensing model but at very different scales and in different application domains.
CEVA vs ARM compares semiconductor IP licensing at different scales and specializations — CEVA's niche wireless connectivity and DSP IP versus ARM's dominant general-purpose processor architecture franchises.
Live analysis · updated 7/9/2026
CEVA and ARM are closely matched — they split the tracked metrics evenly. ARM has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+103.15% vs +95.95%), though CEVA has the better forward P/E setup (54.35x vs 97.45x for ARM). Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for CEVA (+3.48%) than for ARM (-0.47%).
Normalized 1Y performance
CEVA
ARM
Recent returns
CEVA
ARM
Analyst price targets & sentiment
CEVA · 9 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Strong Buy (1.3/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$36.00
analyst high$60.00
analyst mean$46.11
current price$44.56
+3.5% upside to analyst mean
ARM · 37 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (1.9/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$125.00
analyst high$500.00
analyst mean$298.84
current price$300.24
-0.5% upside to analyst mean
Who should consider this stock?
CEVA may suit investors who:
- →Want smaller-scale semiconductor IP exposure to wireless connectivity (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi) and DSP technology for IoT and audio applications
- →Value CEVA's specialized wireless IP as a defensible niche in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chip design that complements rather than competes with ARM
- →See IoT device proliferation as driving growing demand for CEVA's low-power wireless connectivity IP licensing
ARM may suit investors who:
- →Want exposure to the dominant global semiconductor processor IP company with royalties on virtually every smartphone shipped
- →Value ARM's expanding server and AI processor royalty opportunity as its architecture displaces x86 in higher-margin applications
- →See ARM's near-monopoly architecture position as providing pricing power as chips become more sophisticated and royalty rates increase
Performance & AI score
| Metric | CEVA | ARM |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 34.8 | 41.6 |
| AI rank | #1624 | #900 |
| Latest close | $44.56 | $300.24 |
| 1M return | -2.41% | -13.32% |
| 6M return | +87.94% | +159.88% |
| 1Y return | +95.95% | +103.15% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | CEVA | ARM |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $19.6K (+96.0%) started 2025-07-08 | $20.32K (+103.2%) started 2025-07-08 |
| 5Y ago | $10.22K (+2.2%) started 2021-07-08 | $47.21K (+372.1%) started 2023-09-14 |
| 10Y ago | $16.49K (+64.9%) started 2016-07-08 | $47.21K (+372.1%) started 2023-09-14 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Valuation & upside potential
| Metric | CEVA | ARM |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $1.24B | $320.68B |
| Trailing P/E | N/A | 357.43 |
| Forward P/E | 54.35 | 97.45 |
| Price/Sales | 11.05 | 65.18 |
| EV/Revenue | 9.28 | 64.55 |
| Analyst target | $46.11 | $298.84 |
| Target upside | +3.48% | -0.47% |
Growth, profitability & risk
| Metric | CEVA | ARM |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 11.50% | 20.10% |
| Earnings growth | N/A | 47.90% |
| EPS growth | N/A | +47.90% |
| FCF margin | +3.19% | +15.25% |
| Operating margin | N/A | N/A |
| Profit margin | -10.47% | 18.37% |
| ROIC proxy | -3.88% | 11.95% |
| Return on equity | -3.88% | 11.95% |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Beta | 1.97 | 3.77 |
| Debt/equity | 4.99 | 5.93 |
| Current ratio | 10.26 | 6.00 |
| Quick ratio | 9.66 | 5.83 |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
CEVA max drawdown43.87%
ARM max drawdown41.47%
CEVA max wkly drop31.00%
ARM max wkly drop25.35%
5Y risk snapshot
CEVA max drawdown68.24%
ARM max drawdown53.97%
CEVA max wkly drop31.00%
ARM max wkly drop30.98%
10Y risk snapshot
CEVA max drawdown78.24%
ARM max drawdown53.97%
CEVA max wkly drop31.00%
ARM max wkly drop30.98%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | CEVA | ARM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +95.95% | +103.15% |
| CAGR | +96.04% | +103.25% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.28 | 1.28 | |
| Max drawdown | 43.87% | 41.47% | |
| Max daily drop | 14.50% | 13.44% | |
| Max wkly drop | 31.00% | 25.35% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +2.15% | +372.15% |
| CAGR | +0.43% | +73.58% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.20 | 1.03 | |
| Max drawdown | 68.24% | 53.97% | |
| Max daily drop | 20.17% | 19.46% | |
| Max wkly drop | 31.00% | 30.98% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +64.91% | +372.15% |
| CAGR | +5.13% | +73.58% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.27 | 1.03 | |
| Max drawdown | 78.24% | 53.97% | |
| Max daily drop | 20.17% | 19.46% | |
| Max wkly drop | 31.00% | 30.98% |
Business comparison
| Category | CEVA | ARM |
|---|---|---|
| Company | CEVA, Inc. | Arm Holdings plc |
| Sector | Technology - Semiconductor IP | Technology - Semiconductor IP |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | CEVA licenses digital signal processor (DSP) IP architectures and wireless connectivity IP (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB) to semiconductor companies and OEMs designing chips for smartphones, IoT devices, and industrial applications, earning royalties on every chip shipped using CEVA's technology. | Arm Holdings licenses its RISC-based processor IP to semiconductor companies globally, with its ARM architecture powering virtually every smartphone (iPhone, Android), most connected devices, and increasingly servers and edge AI processors — earning royalties on billions of chips shipped annually. |
| Investor focus | Investors track CEVA's semiconductor royalty revenue, wireless connectivity IP licensing deals, and the adoption of its BlueWave Wi-Fi and RivieraWaves Bluetooth IP across IoT device chip designs. | Investors track Arm's royalty revenues tied to chip volumes and average royalty rates, licensing revenues from new architecture customers, and the strategic expansion of Arm's architecture into server (AWS Graviton, Ampere) and AI processor applications. |
CEVA strengths
- →Dominant position in DSP IP for Bluetooth audio and wireless connectivity — CEVA's wireless IP is licensed in a large share of the global Bluetooth headset, speaker, and hearing aid chip market
- →Asset-light IP licensing model earns royalties with minimal variable cost, providing high operating leverage as licensed volume grows
- →IoT device proliferation creates growing demand for low-power wireless connectivity IP where CEVA's BlueWave and RivieraWaves have established positions
ARM strengths
- →Near-monopoly in mobile processor architecture — essentially every smartphone in the world uses ARM-based processors, creating an unmatched royalty base
- →Royalty rates are expanding toward newer, more sophisticated chip designs that earn higher per-chip fees
- →AI compute expansion — Arm is gaining traction in server and AI accelerator chips that can pay much higher royalties than mobile phones
Risks to watch — CEVA
- →CEVA's IP must continuously evolve to stay competitive with next-generation wireless standards (Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6) as the connectivity landscape evolves
- →Dependence on semiconductor industry cycles — when chip production slows, royalty volumes and licensing revenue both decline
- →ARM's expansion into AI edge processor IP could increase competition in some application areas where CEVA's DSP IP currently serves
Risks to watch — ARM
- →RISC-V is an open-source processor architecture alternative that some companies are adopting to reduce dependence on Arm licensing — longer-term competitive threat
- →Arm's very high valuation post-SoftBank requires sustained royalty revenue growth to justify premium multiples
- →Geopolitical risk — Arm licenses to customers globally including Chinese smartphone chipmakers, creating regulatory scrutiny in technology transfer contexts
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