Updated: Saturday, December 13, 2025
Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS) ended Friday, December 12, 2025, on a sour note—down 5.09% in regular trading to $452.95—before stabilizing in after-hours trade. By the end of the extended session, SNPS was quoted around $452.35, off about 0.13% from the close. [1]
At first glance, the move looks confusing: Synopsys had just delivered a headline “beat” earlier in the week and drew a wave of upbeat analyst commentary. But Friday wasn’t a “single-stock story.” It was a risk-off day for tech and semis, with investors suddenly jittery about AI-linked valuations—and that macro tape can overpower company-specific positives in the short run. [2]
Below is what matters most from after the bell (12/12) and what to keep in mind ahead of the next U.S. market open (note: U.S. exchanges are open Monday through Friday, not Saturdays). [3]
SNPS stock: the key numbers after the bell (Dec. 12, 2025)
Regular session (Friday, Dec. 12):
- Close: $452.95 (-5.09%) [4]
- Open: $476.24
- High / Low: $477.46 / $452.44 (a ~$25 intraday swing)
- Volume: ~2.7M shares (above recent averages, indicating heavy participation) [5]
After-hours (extended session):
- After-hours quote near the end of the session: ~$452.35 (about -$0.60 vs. the close) [6]
Bigger picture context:
- SNPS finished the day ~30.5% below its 52-week high (reported as $651.73). [7]
First: there is no U.S. market open on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025
Synopsys trades on the Nasdaq, and Nasdaq’s regular trading session runs Monday–Friday (9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. ET). That means Dec. 13, 2025 (Saturday) does not have a normal “market open” for SNPS. The next regular session would be Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, barring an exchange holiday. [8]
(Extended-hours trading exists, but it’s thinner, can be more volatile, and depends on broker access and venue liquidity—so treat after-hours prints as “signals,” not verdicts.) [9]
Why Synopsys fell hard Friday despite positive analyst chatter
Friday’s decline in SNPS fits a broader theme: investors backed away from tech/AI exposure after a jolt of anxiety about whether the market is pricing AI winners too optimistically.
1) The “AI trade” took a hit across the board
On Friday, major indexes slid, and the selloff was pronounced in tech. Reuters tied the move to renewed AI-bubble concerns after high-profile AI-related companies delivered guidance and commentary that spooked investors. [10]
2) Semiconductors and adjacent names were in the blast radius
Synopsys isn’t a chipmaker, but it sits in the semiconductor value chain (EDA software, IP, verification, and now systems simulation via Ansys). When the market sells “semis,” it often sells the whole ecosystem—tools included. Reuters noted broad weakness in semiconductor-linked names during Friday’s move. [11]
3) Profit-taking and positioning after an earnings catalyst week
Synopsys reported fiscal Q4 results on Dec. 10, and shares initially reacted positively in extended trading. By Friday, investors may have been de-risking into the weekend after a volatile tape—especially with macro data ahead in the coming week (jobs, inflation, retail sales were flagged as “look-ahead” items). [12]
The fundamental backdrop: what Synopsys just reported (and guided)
Even though Friday’s price action was ugly, the information investors are digesting mostly comes from the company’s fiscal Q4/FY2025 update earlier in the week.
Fiscal Q4 / FY2025 highlights (reported Dec. 10)
Synopsys reported:
- Q4 FY2025 revenue:$2.255B (vs. $1.636B a year earlier)
- FY2025 revenue:$7.054B (about +15% year over year) [13]
- Ansys contribution:$667.7M in Q4 revenue; $756.6M in FY2025 revenue [14]
- Backlog:$11.4B (a key “durability” metric for a software/tools business with long enterprise cycles) [15]
Synopsys also framed FY2026 as an integration-and-expansion year, with management emphasizing “silicon to systems” execution. [16]
FY2026 outlook: growth + margin story (with Ansys fully in the model)
Synopsys guided to FY2026 revenue of $9.56B–$9.66B (midpoint around $9.61B) and non-GAAP EPS of $14.32–$14.40 in commentary echoed across multiple reports. [17]
Analysts at Futurum summarized management’s emphasis on integration milestones, synergy capture, and margin expansion into FY2026, highlighting the role of hardware-assisted verification demand and AI-driven workflows. [18]
The “systems era” angle: Ansys integration and the NVIDIA partnership
Two strategic moves are doing a lot of narrative heavy lifting for the Synopsys bull case going into 2026:
1) Synopsys + Ansys is now real, not hypothetical
Synopsys completed its acquisition of Ansys on July 17, 2025, turning the company into a broader engineering platform spanning silicon design and multiphysics simulation. [19]
This matters because it expands Synopsys from “chip design tools” toward a system-level design and simulation story—bigger TAM (total addressable market), more cross-sell paths, and more exposure to industrial/auto/aerospace digital-twin workflows.
2) NVIDIA put real money on the table
On Dec. 1, 2025, Synopsys and NVIDIA announced an expanded strategic partnership—and NVIDIA disclosed a $2 billion investment in Synopsys common stock at $414.79 per share. [20]
That’s not just “friendly collaboration language.” It’s NVIDIA aligning incentives with Synopsys around GPU-accelerated engineering and simulation—exactly the kind of theme the market rewards when it’s in a risk-on mood.
What analysts forecast on Dec. 12, 2025: upgrades, price targets, and models
A major part of the Dec. 12 news cycle was Wall Street’s reaction to the post-earnings setup.
Morgan Stanley raises target to $550 (Dec. 12)
Investing.com reported Morgan Stanley:
- Raised price target to $550 from $510
- Kept an Overweight rating
- Pointed to multi-year EDA demand drivers plus systems simulation opportunities
- Modeled next-year sales near $9.66B and EPS around $14.45 (slightly above the company’s midpoint guidance) [21]
Other notable target moves cited in the same Dec. 12 coverage
That Dec. 12 analyst roundup also referenced:
- KeyBanc raising its target to $600, citing better-than-expected Q4 results and the $11.4B backlog
- BofA Securities upgrading to Buy with a $560 target (arguing for reduced risk around China/Intel-related exposure and room for EPS beats) [22]
Mixed-but-constructive tone: the Street is still debating the “IP” segment
One important nuance: even among optimistic notes, some analysts acknowledged headwinds in Design IP (intellectual property licensing) and China exposure. In fact, Investing.com’s Dec. 12 recap highlighted challenges including a 10% year-over-year revenue decline from China under ongoing restrictions. [23]
That “two-speed” business profile—strong Design Automation + improving systems simulation, but pressured Design IP—helps explain why targets can rise while the stock still whipsaws.
Legal headline risk on Dec. 12: securities class action reminders
Also on Dec. 12, multiple law firms circulated notices reminding investors about a pending securities class action with a lead plaintiff deadline of Dec. 30, 2025.
- One notice described alleged misstatements/omissions tied to the economics of the Design IP business and AI-customer customization, covering an alleged class period from Dec. 4, 2024 to Sept. 9, 2025. [24]
- Another notice referenced the case and identified it as pending in the Northern District of California (captioned Kim v. Synopsys, Inc., et al., No. 3:25-cv-09410). [25]
These notices are not a finding of wrongdoing, but they can add near-term headline risk—especially for institutions that are sensitive to litigation overhangs.
What to watch before the next session: a practical weekend checklist for SNPS
Since Saturday isn’t a normal trading day for Nasdaq, the real setup is: what could re-price the stock into Monday’s open (Dec. 15)? [26]
1) Will Friday’s tech/AI de-risking continue—or snap back?
If the market keeps rotating out of high-multiple AI infrastructure/software names, SNPS can remain correlated to that move even with strong company-specific execution. Reuters explicitly framed Friday as a session where investors moved away from tech amid AI valuation nerves. [27]
2) Analyst upgrades don’t “immunize” a stock—watch the follow-through
The Dec. 12 Morgan Stanley note and the broader cluster of raised targets create a supportive medium-term narrative (EDA + simulation + integration). [28]
But in the short term, markets can ignore upgrades if the tape is risk-off.
3) Integration execution: the market wants proof, not PowerPoints
The bull thesis now leans heavily on Synopsys + Ansys delivering:
- joint solutions customers actually adopt,
- synergy capture,
- and sustained margin expansion into FY2026. [29]
4) China and export sensitivity remains a recurring debate
China-linked revenue pressure was explicitly cited in Dec. 12 coverage, and it’s likely to stay a recurring point of friction in models and investor Q&A. [30]
5) Litigation reminders can create “headline gap” risk
With a lead plaintiff deadline of Dec. 30, investors may see additional reminders and reposted notices across newswires—noise, but still capable of moving sentiment on a quiet day. [31]
6) Macro calendar risk is back on the menu
Reuters highlighted that investors were looking ahead to key labor and inflation data in the week ahead—exactly the kind of macro impulse that tends to re-rate high-growth software/tooling stocks. [32]
Bottom line for SNPS after-hours on Dec. 12, 2025
Synopsys stock sold off hard in regular trading Friday (down about 5%), but after-hours trading was relatively calm, with shares hovering just below the close. [33]
The most coherent explanation is that Friday was about the market’s mood, not a sudden Synopsys-specific blow. Under the surface, the company is coming off:
- a revenue and earnings update anchored by Ansys integration, [34]
- a headline-grabbing $2B NVIDIA investment, [35]
- and a fresh set of FY2026 forecasts that pushed multiple analysts to raise targets. [36]
Into the next regular session (Monday), the questions are less about “what did Synopsys just say?” and more about “what will the market pay for it” given the current AI/tech valuation tug-of-war. [37]
References
1. finance.yahoo.com, 2. www.reuters.com, 3. www.nasdaq.com, 4. www.marketwatch.com, 5. www.marketwatch.com, 6. finance.yahoo.com, 7. www.marketwatch.com, 8. www.nasdaq.com, 9. listingcenter.nasdaq.com, 10. www.reuters.com, 11. www.reuters.com, 12. www.reuters.com, 13. news.synopsys.com, 14. news.synopsys.com, 15. news.synopsys.com, 16. news.synopsys.com, 17. news.synopsys.com, 18. futurumgroup.com, 19. news.synopsys.com, 20. news.synopsys.com, 21. www.investing.com, 22. www.investing.com, 23. www.investing.com, 24. www.globenewswire.com, 25. www.newsfilecorp.com, 26. www.nasdaq.com, 27. www.reuters.com, 28. www.investing.com, 29. futurumgroup.com, 30. www.investing.com, 31. www.globenewswire.com, 32. www.reuters.com, 33. finance.yahoo.com, 34. news.synopsys.com, 35. news.synopsys.com, 36. www.investing.com, 37. www.reuters.com
