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TDCTeradata CorporationBuy Wait6.0·$30.56-0.23%
TDC · Why this verdict

Why Teradata (TDC) is rated BUY WAIT

Updated

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

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Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

VerdictBUY WAIT
Overall score6.0/10
ConfidenceMEDIUM
MacroNEUTRAL
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.

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.

Improving
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.

Deteriorating
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.

Per-dimension breakdown

Value

8.3/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
P/E9.7
P/S9.2
EV/EBITDA7.0
Fwd P/E9.2
PEG10.0
Analyst target5.0
  • Forward P/E: 10.6x
  • 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

4.2/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
RSI8.0
MACD2.2
OBV1.0
MA position4.0
Volume6.0
  • Uptrend pullback (RSI 35) - buy opportunity
  • Volume distribution (falling OBV)
  • Above 200-day MA

Sentiment

5.7/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
Analyst rating5.0
Price target7.3
erm sentiment5.0

Insider

5.5/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
materiality3.0
insider conviction2.0
holder change10.0
notable moves7.0
  • Notable insider selling — $3,069,794 (0.107% of mkt cap)
  • Institutions accumulating

Peer rank

5.8/10data confidence 80%
ComponentSub-score
value rank8.6
quality rank9.2
growth rank2.1
  • Attractive P/E vs peers
  • Superior ROE vs peers

Technical

5.7/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
bollinger6.0
support resistance6.4
52w position4.6

Risk (lower is worse)

5.6/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
short interest10.0
days to cover6.0
volatility0.0
put call9.5
implied vol0.0
max pain risk5.0
beta9.5
debt equity5.0
  • Short squeeze setup: 26% short, quality 7.5
  • High IV: 90%
  • 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
  • Earnings in 5 days

How the verdict was assembled

Engine trigger

Fundamentals strong but target reached (1.1% upside).

Engine technical detail
verdict_path: L4:PATH_A_DEEP_VALUE|V8:TARGET_REACHED
Passed (4)
  • INSIDER:OK
  • NEWS_EVENTS:NONE_RECENT
  • SEMI_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
  • MATERIALS_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
Failed (3)
  • MOMENTUM:4.2<4.5
  • ASYMMETRY:0.1<1.5@spot
  • EARNINGS_PROXIMITY:5d<=7d
Warning (1)
  • 8K_CSUITE_CHANGE:5.02 (officer departure/appointment)
Reward-to-Risk
0.08
Upside
+1.1%
Downside
12.9%
Sizing output
STARTER

Setup No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed

EdgeNo clear edge No clear edge identified

SuitabilityAggressive MCap $2.9B<$5B

Investment implication

The STRONG_BUY_WAIT verdict reflects the MOMENTUM gate's 4.2<4.5 outcome against Value at 8.3 and asymmetric R:R of 0.08.

The strongest dimensions are Value at 8.3, Catalyst at 7.5, and Quality at 7.4; the weakest are Growth at 4.0, Momentum at 4.2, and Insider at 5.5. The V9 engine flagged 3 failed gates with 1 warning, producing an asymmetric reward-to-risk of 0.08 and an engine sizing output of STARTER.

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.

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