Skip to main content
TDCTeradata CorporationHold5.7·$34.56+0.29%
TDC · Why this verdict

Why Teradata (TDC) is rated HOLD

Updated

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Show full disclosure ▾

About TrendMatrix. TrendMatrix is a publisher of general securities research and market commentary. We publish on a regular schedule. All content is the same for every subscriber in a tier — we do not provide personalized investment advice and we do not take into account any individual subscriber's financial situation, investment objectives, risk tolerance, tax situation, or holdings.

Not investment advice. TrendMatrix is not a registered investment adviser. Our content is for informational and educational purposes only. Consult your own licensed investment adviser, broker, or tax professional before making any investment decision.

Conflicts and positions. The TrendMatrix editorial team frequently holds personal long-term positions in securities discussed. We disclose positions held at the time of publication on each piece. We maintain a trading-window policy: we do not initiate or close positions in the same direction as a TrendMatrix publication within 24 hours before or 72 hours after publication.

No paid promotion. TrendMatrix does not accept payment from any issuer, broker, or third party in exchange for coverage of any security. Our sole compensation is subscription revenue.

No fiduciary duty. No fiduciary, advisory, or agency relationship is created between you and TrendMatrix by reading our content or subscribing to our service.

Performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Performance figures reflect the published model only and do not reflect any individual subscriber's actual results.

Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

VerdictHOLD
Overall score5.7/10
ConfidenceMEDIUM
MacroNEUTRAL

Thesis pillars

Teradata generates a return on equity of 118% — placing it in the top percentile of peers on capital efficiency — alongside 25% net margins and a strong Piotroski financial health score of 7 out of 9, demonstrating a high-quality business delivering significant shareholder value.

Stable
Quality breakdown
Expectation
Return on equity stays above 80% and net margins remain above 20% over the next four reported quarters.

CounterExtremely high return on equity can sometimes reflect a leveraged capital structure rather than pure business quality; the single-source component supplier concentration risk flagged in the 10-K annual filing could disrupt operations and compress margins.

Teradata beat consensus earnings estimates in all four of the last four quarters, with an average positive surprise of 184% — driven in part by a 653% beat in the most recent May 2026 quarter — signaling that the company is consistently delivering results far above analyst expectations.

Stable
Earnings
Expectation
Earnings surprise stays above 10% in at least 3 of the next 4 quarters, sustaining the strong beat pattern.

CounterThe 653% beat in the most recent quarter may reflect a non-recurring item that dramatically inflated the average; stripping the outlier the underlying beat average is more modest at roughly 28%, which is still strong but less exceptional.

Short interest stands at 19% of the float with a short squeeze setup identified in the risk notes — meaning a significant portion of the float is bet against the stock, creating potential for a sharp upward price move if positive news catalyzes covering.

Stable
Risk breakdown
Expectation
Short interest falls below 12% within 6 months as continued earnings beats reduce the bear thesis viability.

CounterHigh short interest is often justified by fundamental concerns; in Teradata's case, the 19% short interest may reflect well-informed views on competitive threats in the data warehousing market from cloud-native competitors.

At $33.62, the stock is trading above the take-profit resistance level of $36.12 on a near-term basis, with the price-to-analyst-target upside measured at only 7.4% — the risk-to-reward ratio of 1.79 suggests limited room for new entry without a pullback.

Stable
Targets
Expectation
Price pulls back to the entry target of $32.10 or lower, creating a risk-to-reward ratio greater than 2.0 for new buyers.

CounterStrong earnings beats and improving news sentiment could attract buyers despite the limited analyst-target upside; a target upgrade from even one analyst would reset the upside calculation.

TrendMatrix Research · core thesis

Engine thesis — one sentence

Teradata has beaten earnings estimates in all four of the last four quarters with an average positive surprise of 184%, earns exceptional return on equity of 118% with 25% net margins and a Piotroski financial health score of 7 out of 9 — but 19% short interest, a high put-to-call ratio of 2.50, and a stock price already above the analyst target limit near-term entry.

Falsifiable statement — pillar-level invalidators below. Engine-derived; not personalized advice.

Per-dimension breakdown

Value

7.7/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
P/E9.4
P/S9.0
EV/EBITDA6.4
Fwd P/E9.0
PEG10.0
Analyst target3.0
  • Forward P/E: 12.0x
  • PEG: 0.02
  • Attractively valued

Quality

7.4/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
ROE10.0
ROA5.0
Gross margin8.1
Op margin7.7
Net margin10.0
Current ratio4.9
FCF quality6.0
Moat6.9
Piotroski F7.8
  • Excellent ROE: 118%
  • Strong margins: 25%
  • Earnings quality warning: 80% FCF/NI
  • Strong Piotroski F-Score: 7/9

Growth

4.0/10data confidence 33%
ComponentSub-score
Rev growth4.0

Momentum

6.9/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
RSI5.5
MACD10.0
OBV10.0
MA position9.0
Volume0.0
  • Volume accumulation (rising OBV)
  • Above 200-day MA

Sentiment

5.0/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
Analyst rating5.0
Price target5.1
erm sentiment5.0

Insider

3.9/10data confidence 75%
ComponentSub-score
materiality4.5
insider conviction2.0
holder change5.1
  • Modest insider selling — $3,069,794 (0.094% of mkt cap)

Peer rank

4.9/10data confidence 80%
ComponentSub-score
value rank8.3
quality rank9.2
growth rank2.1
  • Attractive P/E vs peers
  • Superior ROE vs peers

Technical

3.5/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
bollinger2.1
support resistance2.0
52w position6.5

Risk (lower is worse)

4.6/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
short interest8.1
days to cover4.6
volatility1.8
put call0.0
implied vol2.9
beta9.5
debt equity5.0
  • Short squeeze setup: 19% short, quality 7.5
  • Elevated put/call: 3.46
  • High IV: 63%
  • Concentration risks: 1 HIGH, 1 MED (10-K Item 1A — sized via position_sizing, validated via buy_confidence)

Catalyst

7.5/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
erm5.0
earnings history10.0
earnings timing5.0
surprise avg10.0
  • Perfect beat streak: 4Q

How the verdict was assembled

Engine trigger

Maintain position. Not compelling to add more.

Engine technical detail
verdict_path: L4:PATH_F_HOLD
Passed (6)
  • MOMENTUM:6.9>=5.5
  • INSIDER:OK
  • NEWS_EVENTS:NONE_RECENT
  • EARNINGS_PROXIMITY:32d clear
  • SEMI_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
  • MATERIALS_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
Failed (1)
  • ASYMMETRY:-0.8=NEGATIVE
Warning (1)
  • 8K_CSUITE_CHANGE:5.02 (officer departure/appointment)
Reward-to-Risk
-0.81
Upside
-12.2%
Downside
15.0%
Sizing output
AVOID

SetupBreakout Golden cross, above all MAs, RSI 58, MACD bullish

EdgeNo clear edge No clear edge identified

SuitabilityAggressive MCap $3.3B<$5B

Investment implication

None of the engine's positive-conviction paths (C-quality, D-momentum) triggered — the F-path HOLD reflects balanced signals. Strongest-cleared gate: MOMENTUM:6.9>=5.5. Top dim: Value at 7.7; weakest: Technical at 3.5. No conviction either direction.

The strongest dimensions are Value at 7.7, Catalyst at 7.5, and Quality at 7.4; the weakest are Technical at 3.5, Insider at 3.9, and Growth at 4.0. The V9 engine flagged 1 failed gate with 1 warning, producing an asymmetric reward-to-risk of -0.81 and an engine sizing output of AVOID.

What would invalidate the thesis

Falsifying conditions — when triggered, the corresponding pillar's thesis is invalidated.

  • P1Exceptional Return On Equity

    Trip ifReturn on equity drops below 50%, more than 68 percentage points below the current 118%, indicating significant capital efficiency deterioration.

  • P2Massive Earnings Beat Streak

    Trip ifEarnings surprise falls below 0% in at least 3 of the next 4 quarters, ending the beat streak.

  • P3High Short Interest Squeeze Risk

    Trip ifShort interest rises above 25% of the float, more than 6 percentage points above the current 19%, indicating increased bearish conviction.

  • P4Price Above Analyst Target

    Trip ifStock price rises above $40, more than 19% above the current $33.62, without a corresponding analyst target increase above $44.

Engine reasoning is mechanically derived from pipeline gate outputs. See decision view.

Home Stocks TDC Why this verdict