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Verisign (VRSN)
NASDAQ:VRSN
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Verisign (VRSN) AI Stock Analysis

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VRSN

Verisign

(NASDAQ:VRSN)

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Outperform 75 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:75Outperform
Price Target:
$312.00
▲(13.85% Upside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:04/24/26
The score is driven primarily by best-in-class profitability and strong free cash flow, reinforced by upbeat earnings-call guidance and shareholder returns. Offsetting these positives are balance-sheet risk from high leverage/negative equity and a valuation that looks only moderately attractive given modest growth.
Positive Factors
Free cash flow strength
Verisign's very strong operating and free cash flow generation is a durable fundamental advantage. High cash conversion funds dividends, buybacks, infrastructure investment and shields the business from cyclicality, supporting capital returns and strategic optionality over the next several years.
Negative Factors
Elevated leverage and negative equity
Material leverage and deeply negative equity reduce financial flexibility and increase downside risk. A capital structure concentrated in debt and prior returns to shareholders constrains the firm's ability to absorb shocks, pursue M&A, or increase capex without raising cost of capital.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Free cash flow strength
Verisign's very strong operating and free cash flow generation is a durable fundamental advantage. High cash conversion funds dividends, buybacks, infrastructure investment and shields the business from cyclicality, supporting capital returns and strategic optionality over the next several years.
Read all positive factors

Verisign (VRSN) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Verisign Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description
VeriSign, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides domain name registry services and internet infrastructure that enables internet navigation for various recognized domain names worldwide. It enables the security, stability, and resiliency o...
How the Company Makes Money
VeriSign primarily makes money by operating internet domain name registries and charging fees tied to the lifecycle of domain names under the top-level domains it manages. The company’s largest revenue stream comes from registry services for .com ...

Verisign Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Any
Any
Revenue by Geography
Revenue by Geography
Breaks down revenue across different regions, revealing where the company is strongest and where it may face risk or growth potential due to local economic conditions or market share shifts.
Chart InsightsVerisign's revenue growth is robust across most regions, with the United States and EMEA showing consistent upward trends. However, China presents volatility, with recent declines followed by a sharp increase in late 2024. The earnings call highlights strong domain name growth and improved renewal rates, contributing to overall revenue increases. Despite economic uncertainties, particularly in China, Verisign remains optimistic about future growth, supported by strategic engagements with their registrar channel and a positive financial outlook for 2025.
Data provided by:The Fly

Verisign Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Apr 23, 2026
(Q1-2026)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Jul 23, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call communicated multiple strong operational and financial wins: record domain base, the largest new registrations since 2021, YoY revenue and EPS growth, robust cash generation and shareholder returns, narrowed and raised guidance for domain base growth, and a long track record of 100% availability and large excess infrastructure capacity. Offsetting items include materially lower first-time renewal rates (mid-40%), uncertainty around the retail impact of the announced .com wholesale price increase, security risks arising from AI that may require additional product investment, and some uncertainty related to the ICANN new gTLD round. On balance, the positive growth, cash returns, and infrastructure reliability materially outweigh the noted challenges, though management will need to monitor renewal cohorts and registrar pricing dynamics.
Positive Updates
Record Domain Base and Strong Registration Activity
Combined .com and .net base reached a record 176.1 million names; domain name base grew by 2.54 million from year-end 2025. New registrations were 11.5 million in Q1 (vs. 10.7 million last quarter and 10.1 million YoY), the largest quarterly new registrations since 2021.
Negative Updates
Low First-Timer Renewal Rates
First-time renewals average in the mid-40% range, which is materially below previously renewed names (mid-80% range) and creates a headwind as 2025's strong new-registration cohort comes up for renewal in 2026.
Read all updates
Q1-2026 Updates
Negative
Record Domain Base and Strong Registration Activity
Combined .com and .net base reached a record 176.1 million names; domain name base grew by 2.54 million from year-end 2025. New registrations were 11.5 million in Q1 (vs. 10.7 million last quarter and 10.1 million YoY), the largest quarterly new registrations since 2021.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
The company narrowed 2026 guidance to domain name base growth of 3.1%–4.3% and updated full‑year financial guidance of revenue $1.73B–$1.745B and operating income $1.17B–$1.185B; interest and non‑operating items are expected to be a small net expense (up to about $7M), capital expenditures $55M–$65M, and a GAAP effective tax rate of 22%–25%. Management also announced a $0.71 wholesale .com price increase to $10.97 effective 11/01/2026, declared a $0.81 per‑share cash dividend payable 05/27/2026 (record 05/19/2026), noted $556M in cash and equivalents at quarter‑end and $863M of remaining share‑repurchase capacity, and reiterated strong free cash flow generation and domain metrics underpinning the guidance.

Verisign Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Income statement and cash flow are very strong (exceptional ~88% gross margin, ~69% EBIT margin, and ~$1.05B TTM free cash flow with high cash conversion), but overall financial strength is held back by elevated balance-sheet risk (meaningful ~$1.79B debt and deeply negative equity). Growth is steady but modest, with some recent softening/plateauing in net income and free cash flow.
Income Statement
86
Very Positive
Balance Sheet
38
Negative
Cash Flow
82
Very Positive
BreakdownTTMDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue1.68B1.66B1.56B1.49B1.42B1.33B
Gross Profit1.49B1.46B1.37B1.30B1.22B1.14B
EBITDA1.18B1.17B1.13B1.10B1.00B913.41M
Net Income840.90M955.50M785.70M817.60M673.80M784.80M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets1.30B1.33B1.41B1.75B1.73B1.98B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments556.40M580.50M599.90M926.40M980.40M1.21B
Total Debt1.79B1.80B1.80B1.80B1.79B1.79B
Total Liabilities3.51B3.48B3.36B3.33B3.30B3.24B
Stockholders Equity-2.21B-2.15B-1.96B-1.58B-1.56B-1.26B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow1.05B1.07B874.50M808.00M803.70M754.12M
Operating Cash Flow1.07B1.09B902.60M853.80M831.10M807.15M
Investing Cash Flow-21.30M109.10M286.30M-97.40M355.70M-269.25M
Financing Cash Flow-1.15B-1.10B-1.22B-889.80M-1.04B-719.13M

Verisign Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price274.05
Price Trends
50DMA
241.02
Positive
100DMA
244.11
Positive
200DMA
256.53
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
9.14
Negative
RSI
65.61
Neutral
STOCH
68.05
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For VRSN, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 274.05 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 259.71, above the 50-day MA of 241.02, and above the 200-day MA of 256.53, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 9.14 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 65.61 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 68.05 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for VRSN.

Verisign Risk Analysis

Verisign disclosed 25 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Verisign reported the most risks in the "Tech & Innovation" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Verisign Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
75
Outperform
$24.50B26.51-43.78%0.94%6.84%10.70%
72
Outperform
$62.41B31.84123.64%14.17%7.23%
69
Neutral
$14.04B18.8436.62%6.25%28.93%
67
Neutral
$21.79B-232.70-3.48%23.91%-326.25%
66
Neutral
$11.47B19.20384.19%8.33%-4.06%
61
Neutral
$37.18B12.37-10.20%1.83%8.50%-7.62%
48
Neutral
$6.74B-60.86-3.96%24.35%55.68%
* Technology Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
VRSN
Verisign
267.90
-5.90
-2.16%
CHKP
Check Point
138.11
-74.30
-34.98%
FTNT
Fortinet
85.67
-16.97
-16.53%
GDDY
GoDaddy
84.36
-100.71
-54.42%
ZS
Zscaler
134.11
-85.75
-39.00%
SAIL
SailPoint, Inc.
11.87
-5.20
-30.46%
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Apr 24, 2026