CCC vs TEM: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 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.

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. CCC and TEM 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 CCC and TEM 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.

CCC Intelligent Solutions runs an integrated cloud platform that connects roughly 35,000 businesses across the property and casualty (P&C) insurance value chain, including insurers, collision repair shops, automakers, and parts suppliers. Founded in 1980 and based in Chicago, the company sits at the center of the complex auto claims process, monetizing through SaaS subscriptions, per-claim transaction fees, and data and analytics products. Its estimating software is the de facto US standard, with an estimated 70 to 80 percent share among repair shops, which creates strong network effects and switching costs.

Full CCC guide

Tempus AI (NASDAQ: TEM) is a Chicago-based technology company that applies artificial intelligence to precision medicine, primarily in oncology but increasingly across cardiology, neuropsychiatry, and hereditary conditions. It operates two interconnected business lines: a diagnostics segment that performs next-generation sequencing (NGS), PCR profiling, molecular pathology, and hereditary genetic tests through CAP-accredited, CLIA-certified laboratories, charging on a per-test basis; and a Data and Applications segment that licenses de-identified, linked clinical, molecular, and imaging datasets to life sciences companies (Insights), offers clinical trial matching (Trials), and deploys AI-powered algorithm products for physicians (Algos) and an AI platform called Next. Approximately 95% of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies use Tempus data or trial services, and the platform has integrations across more than 7,000 physicians and hundreds of research partners, creating a self-reinforcing network where clinical volume generates data that improves AI models and attracts more customers.

Full TEM guide

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

• CCC drivers: Entrenched network-effect moat; AI and emerging solutions upsell.
• TEM drivers: Explosive Revenue Growth with a Clear Path to Profitability; Data Licensing as a High-Margin Flywheel.

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: The most cited risk is valuation: with a price-to-earnings ratio near 98 and a premium revenue multiple, the stock leaves little margin for error if growth decelerates. For TEM, tempus remains unprofitable on a GAAP basis, with a full-year 2025 net loss of $245 million (which included $136 million in stock-based compensation), and the path to sustained GAAP profitability is long; Q1 2026 showed a net loss of $125.9 million, widening 85% year-over-year, and EPS missed analyst estimates by 34%.

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 CCC if you believe its drivers more; TEM 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 CCC and TEM guides.

CCC. CCC beat Q1 2026 estimates with EPS of about $0.11 and returned to GAAP net income of roughly $15 million versus a prior-year loss, and raised full-year revenue guidance to around 9 to 10 percent growth. It also completed a ~$300 million accelerated share repurchase (about 43 million shares) plus additional open-market buybacks. The premium valuation reflects the sticky, high-margin model, so investors are effectively paying up for durability and AI-driven upside.

TEM. Tempus trades at roughly 6.6 times trailing twelve-month revenue, a premium that reflects the market pricing in a future where its data-licensing flywheel generates high-margin recurring revenue at scale. The P/E ratio is not meaningful today because the company is not yet GAAP profitable, but consensus estimates suggest the first meaningful earnings could arrive by 2028, and the company's own guidance calls for positive Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $65 million in 2026. The gross margin of approximately 63% is already at software-like levels and has expanded significantly as the higher-margin Data and Applications segment grows faster than diagnostics.

Headline figures (approximate, JULY 2026): CCC shows revenue (q1 2026) ~$281M, revenue growth (yoy) ~12% (all organic), adjusted ebitda (q1 2026) ~$120M (~43% margin), gaap gross margin ~74%; TEM shows revenue (fy2025, reported) ~$1.27 billion, revenue (ttm, as of q1 2026) ~$1.36 billion, q1 2026 revenue (most recent quarter) ~$348 million (up 36% YoY), gross margin (fy2025) ~63%.

CCC and TEM 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 CCC and TEM exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.