ADI vs CRUS: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of November 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

Reading it: CRUS is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. ADI and CRUS share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined ADI and CRUS exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Analog Devices designs, manufactures, and markets integrated circuits, software, and subsystem products that convert real-world analog signals into digital data and back again. Its core product families include data converters, amplifiers, power management ICs, radio frequency and microwave chips, and MEMS-based sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes. ADI sells into four end markets: Industrial (the largest, roughly half of revenue), Automotive, Communications, and Consumer. Revenue is generated primarily through direct sales to original equipment manufacturers and through a global distribution network spanning North and South America, Europe, Japan, China, and the rest of Asia. The company's hybrid manufacturing model combines owned fabs with foundry partnerships, giving it flexibility in capacity and cost management.

Full ADI guide

Cirrus Logic, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company based in Austin, Texas that designs low-power, high-precision analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits. Its two product families are audio (smart codecs, boosted amplifiers, haptic and sensing drivers) and high-performance mixed-signal, or HPMS (camera controllers, power converters, and battery and display-related silicon). Those chips ship primarily into smartphones, with a growing presence in laptops, tablets, and AR/VR headsets. The company outsources fabrication and focuses on circuit design, software, and the tight co-engineering relationships that get a part designed into a flagship handset years before it ships.

Full CRUS guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• ADI drivers: Industrial Automation and the Intelligent Edge; AI Infrastructure and Automated Test Equipment.
• CRUS drivers: Rising silicon content per smartphone; Laptop and PC diversification.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Analog semiconductors are cyclical, and a slowdown in industrial capital spending or a prolonged pause in automotive orders can deflate revenue quickly, as seen during the fiscal 2024 trough. For CRUS, customer concentration is the dominant risk and it is extreme: Apple represented approximately 91% of fiscal 2026 net sales, so a design loss, a component redesign, or a shift in Apple's in-house silicon strategy could reset revenue in a single product cycle.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick ADI if you believe its drivers more; CRUS if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the ADI and CRUS guides.

ADI. At $408.17, ADI's trailing GAAP P/E of about 48x is inflated by Maxim-related amortization, while the forward P/E of roughly 25x rests on consensus fiscal 2027 EPS of about $16.43. The multiple has actually come down from earlier in 2026 because earnings grew faster than the share price. The November 24, 2026 report will show whether the fourth quarter meets the roughly $4.29 billion revenue estimate.

CRUS. Cirrus Logic trades near 13.5 times trailing and 12.4 times forward earnings despite gross margin above 50% and roughly $760 million of net cash, a gap the market generally attributes to Apple concentration. The stock slid about 21% over three months into mid-October 2026, through the Synaptics episode and a KeyBanc downgrade, and sits near the bottom of its ~$105 to ~$180 52-week range while the four-analyst mean target is about $165. The November 4, 2026 report (consensus ~$540 million revenue, $2.42 EPS) covers the iPhone build season.

Headline figures (approximate, October 2026 (through fiscal Q3 2026, the quarter ended August 1, 2026)): ADI shows revenue (ttm) ~$13.9 billion, revenue (fiscal q3 2026) ~$4.02 billion (up ~40% YoY), net income (ttm) ~$4.1 billion (GAAP EPS ~$8.42), gross / operating margin ~66% / ~40%; CRUS shows revenue (ttm) ~$2.05B; fiscal Q1 2027 ~$460M (+~13% YoY), net income (ttm) ~$431M, eps (ttm gaap / fq1 2027 non-gaap vs est.) ~$8.19 / $1.84 vs $1.81, margins (ttm) Gross ~52.8%, operating ~18.4%, net ~21%.

ADI and CRUS are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined ADI and CRUS exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.