The Filing Desk

Verisign

VRSN · Nasdaq · Information Technology · Financials, fiscal 2016 to 2025

VRSN · Last close · October 26, 2026
$308.72
Value Verisign yourself

Verisign's revenue rose 6.4% to $1.7 billion in fiscal 2025. Its operating margin was 67.7%, down from 68.0% a year earlier. Free cash flow was $1.1 billion, up 22.2%. It paid out $1.1 billion in dividends and buybacks, 103% of free cash flow. The diluted share count fell 4.5%.

VERISIGN INC/CA Latest fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 10-K filed February 5, 2026 · 0001014473-26-000006 Updated
Revenue
$1.7B
6.4%
Operating margin
67.7%
0.3 pts
Net income
$826M
5.1%
Free cash flow
$1.1B
22.2%
Return on equity
—
 
Market cap
$27.9B
Oct 26 close
P/E
33.2x
On $9.30 EPS, 4 qtrs

Operating margin is operating income as a share of revenue. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending. Return on equity is net income as a share of shareholders' equity. Market cap is the last closing share price times the latest diluted share count, so it is approximate. P/E is the last close divided by diluted earnings per share over the last four quarters, or the latest fiscal year where the quarters aren't available; there is none when the company made a loss.

About these figures. Long-term debt is Verisign's senior notes, which its balance sheets before 2022 show on a single line.

Charts show fiscal years, from the 10-K filings.

Revenue and margins

Revenue
US$ billions, fiscal years
Margins
Percent of revenue
GrossOperatingNetFree cash flow

Net income and earnings per share

From fiscal 2016 to 2025, earnings per share grew 11.1% a year and net income 7.2% a year, as buybacks cut the share count by 27%.

Net income
US$ billions, fiscal years; loss years in red.
Diluted earnings per share
US$ per share, fiscal years, restated for any stock splits; loss years in red.

Returns on capital

Return on capital and on equity
Percent. Return on capital is after-tax operating income over the money invested in the business (debt plus equity, minus cash); return on equity is net income over shareholders' equity. Both use the average of opening and closing balances.
Return on capitalReturn on equity

Cash flow

Free cash flow
US$ billions. Cash from operations minus capital expenditure; negative years in red.

Payouts and share count

Dividends and buybacks
US$ billions, cash paid in each fiscal year
DividendsShare buybacks
Diluted share count
Weighted-average diluted shares, millions

Valuation

Two ways to value Verisign yourself, both starting from its filings: a discounted cash flow model and the price-to-earnings method.

Discounted cash flow (DCF)

A discounted cash flow (DCF) model values a business as the cash it may generate in future, discounted back to today. The starting figures come from Verisign's 10-K (or, for net cash and shares, its latest 10-Q) and the assumptions are yours: start from one of three example scenarios, then change any figure to see what it implies for a share, and how that compares with the last share price.

Value per share on three example scenarios, from Verisign's fiscal 2025 free cash flow of $1.1B, net cash of −$1.2B at December 31, 2025 and 94 million diluted shares, from its filings. The scenarios are fitted to Verisign: the base scenario's growth in years 1 to 5 is its revenue growth over the last 3 years, 5.2% a year; the cautious and optimistic ones are lower and higher, and growth in years 6 to 10 is halfway to the long-run rate. The base scenario's discount rate is 9% for a business of moderate risk (Internet Services & Infrastructure); the cautious and optimistic ones use a point more and a point less. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.

From the filings
Cash from operations minus capital spending in fiscal 2025.
Cash and short-term investments minus debt and finance leases at December 31, 2025. Negative means net debt.
Weighted-average diluted shares in fiscal 2025.
Your assumptions
Start from
Fitted to Verisign's own revenue growth, as above. Cautious: growth of 2.5% then 2% a year, 2% after year 10, a 10% discount rate. Base: growth of 5% then 4% a year, 2.5% after year 10, a 9% discount rate. Optimistic: growth of 7.5% then 5% a year, 3% after year 10, a 8% discount rate.
Long-run growth forever after year 10. Usually close to inflation, and always below the discount rate.
The yearly return an investor wants for the risk. A higher rate gives a lower value.
Value per share on these assumptions
—
—
Last close, October 26, 2026
$308.72
Value on these assumptions, against the last close
—

Cash flows in years 1 to 10, valued today
—
Everything after year 10, valued today
—
Plus net cash
—
Share of value from after year 10
—
Projected free cash flow
US$ billions. Each column is one year's projected free cash flow, split into what it is worth today and the part removed by discounting.
Value todayRemoved by discounting

How the value changes with two assumptions

Value per share in US$, with the growth rates above. The highlighted cell matches the current assumptions.
How the model works. Free cash flow grows at the first rate for five years and the second rate for five more, and each year is discounted at the discount rate. Everything after year 10 is valued as year-10 cash flow × (1 + growth after year 10) ÷ (discount rate − growth after year 10), discounted back ten years. Net cash is added and the total is divided by diluted shares. The result depends entirely on the assumptions. It is not a forecast, a price target or a recommendation. The last close is the consolidated US closing price, from Databento.

Price-to-earnings (P/E) method

Another common way to value a company is to multiply its earnings per share by a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple: the number of years of today's earnings an investor pays for a share. A higher multiple usually means investors expect earnings to grow. Choose a multiple, for example from similar companies, to see the value it gives.

Value per share on three example scenarios, from Verisign's earnings per share of $9.30 (over the last four quarters). Each grows earnings for a year at the cash flow scenarios' rates and applies a multiple to next year's earnings: 33.6×, the average of the Information Technology median and Verisign's own P/E today for the base scenario, 20% less and more for the cautious and optimistic ones. The price is brought back a year at 10%, 9% and 8%. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.

Diluted earnings per share over the four quarters to September 30, 2026, from the 10-Qs and 10-K.
P/E today is the last close divided by the latest earnings per share, the four quarters' where available. Peers: DigitalOcean.
Starts at Verisign's revenue growth over the last 3 years, 5.2% a year, as the base scenario does.
Earnings per share in the years ahead, US$
Type your own estimate for any year; the years after it carry on at the growth rate.
Apply the multiple to earnings
A multiple on a future year's earnings gives the price then, brought back to today at the discount rate below.
The yearly return an investor wants for the risk, as in the cash flow model.
Value per share today at this multiple
—
—
Last close, October 26, 2026
$308.72
Value at this multiple, against the last close
—
Verisign's P/E at the last close
33.2×
CompanyLast closeEarnings per shareP/E today
DigitalOceanDOCN$99.53$2.1646.1×
VerisignVRSN$308.72$9.3033.2×
How the P/E method works. Value per share is earnings per share times the multiple. On a future year's earnings, that gives the price in that year, which is brought back to today at the discount rate: price ÷ (1 + discount rate) for each year ahead. It is quick and easy to compare across companies, but it ignores debt and cash, and earnings can swing with one-off gains and charges, so a multiple says most about steady, profitable businesses. Like the cash flow model, the result depends entirely on the assumptions you choose. It is not a forecast, a price target or a recommendation.

Balance sheet

Fiscal year endFY21FY22FY23FY24FY25
Cash and short-term investments1,211986932605582
Debt incl. finance leases1,7861,7881,7901,7921,788
Net debt (negative means net cash)5758028581,1871,206
Net debt to EBITDA0.6x0.8x0.8x1.1x1.1x
Debt to equity—————
Interest coverage10.4x12.5x13.3x14.1x14.6x
Current ratio1.2x0.9x0.8x0.4x0.5x
Quick ratio1.2x0.9x0.8x0.4x0.5x
US$ millions unless stated, at each fiscal year end. Net debt to EBITDA is debt minus cash, divided by operating income before depreciation and amortization: roughly how many years of those earnings the net debt equals. Debt to equity is debt as a multiple of shareholders' equity. Interest coverage is operating income divided by interest expense. The current ratio is current assets over current liabilities; the quick ratio leaves out inventory.

Insider trades

Over the 12 months between October 27, 2025 and October 26, 2026, 1 insider bought $19,492 of Verisign shares on the open market, and 4 insiders sold $36.0 million, $33.7 million of it under trading plans set up in advance.

DateInsiderTradeSharesPriceValueFiling
Oct 20, 2026Bidzos D JamesExec. Chairman, Pres, & CEO, DirectorSold plan3,300$306.30$1.0 millionForm 4
Oct 13, 2026Bidzos D JamesExec. Chairman, Pres, & CEO, DirectorSold plan3,300$302.85$999,404Form 4
Oct 8, 2026Thomas C IndelicartoEVP, Gen Counsel & SecretarySold plan500$293.14$146,570Form 4
Oct 6, 2026Bidzos D JamesExec. Chairman, Pres, & CEO, DirectorSold plan3,300$292.33$964,691Form 4
Oct 1, 2026Thomas C IndelicartoEVP, Gen Counsel & SecretarySold plan500$284.38$142,190Form 4
Sep 29, 2026Bidzos D JamesExec. Chairman, Pres, & CEO, DirectorSold plan3,300$278.78$919,964Form 4
Sep 22, 2026Bidzos D JamesExec. Chairman, Pres, & CEO, DirectorSold plan3,300$304.75$1.0 millionForm 4
Sep 15, 2026Bidzos D JamesExec. Chairman, Pres, & CEO, DirectorSold plan3,300$296.58$978,716Form 4
Sep 8, 2026Bidzos D JamesExec. Chairman, Pres, & CEO, DirectorSold plan3,300$284.40$938,524Form 4
Sep 8, 2026Thomas C IndelicartoEVP, Gen Counsel & SecretarySold plan500$289.16$144,580Form 4
Sep 1, 2026Bidzos D JamesExec. Chairman, Pres, & CEO, DirectorSold plan3,300$291.09$960,601Form 4
Sep 1, 2026Thomas C IndelicartoEVP, Gen Counsel & SecretarySold plan500$290.78$145,390Form 4
The latest 12 of 70 trades. Open-market purchases and sales by officers, directors and 10% owners, from their Form 4 filings with the SEC: one row per person, day and filing, at the day's average price. Grants, option exercises and shares withheld for tax aren't counted. Insiders buy and sell for many reasons, such as taxes, spreading their savings or a plan set up months earlier, so a trade on its own says little about where a company is heading. For information only, not investment advice. Insider trades at all companies

Piotroski F-score

The F-score counts how many of nine simple tests of profitability, funding and efficiency a company passed in a year (Piotroski, 2000). The more tests passed, the stronger the year: 8 or 9 is strong, 0 to 2 weak. Companies that report no gross profit are scored on the other eight.

TestFY23FY24FY25
Net income is positivePassPassPass
Cash from operations is positivePassPassPass
Return on assets rosePassFailPass
Cash from operations exceeds net incomePassPassPass
Debt fell relative to assetsFailFailFail
Current ratio roseFailFailPass
Share count didn't risePassPassPass
Gross margin rosePassPassPass
Revenue rose relative to assetsPassPassPass
F-score7 of 96 of 98 of 9
Accruals ratio−2.1%−7.4%−19.4%
The accruals ratio is net income minus cash from operations, over average total assets.

Compare

Put Verisign side by side with any other company we cover: revenue, growth, margins, cash flow and returns, with ten years of charts.

Similar companies

CompanyYearRevenue growthOperating marginFree cash flow marginReturn on capitalNet debt to EBITDAF-scoreCompare
VerisignFY256.4%67.7%64.5%—1.1x8
Wix.comFY2513.2%0.1%29.2%—9.9x7Compare
CloudflareFY2529.9%−9.6%13.3%−29.7%—3Compare
DigitalOceanFY2515.5%17.4%20.0%15.7%4.0x7Compare
IRENFY2641.1%−148.1%−127.0%−19.8%—3Compare
Each company's latest fiscal year. Fiscal years end in different months, so the periods don't line up exactly. Free cash flow margin is free cash flow as a share of revenue. Net debt to EBITDA is explained under the balance sheet, and the F-score above.

10 years of figures

Fiscal yearFY16FY17FY18FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24FY25
Income statement
Revenue1,1421,1651,2151,2321,2651,3281,4251,4931,5571,657
Revenue growth7.8%2.0%4.3%1.4%2.7%4.9%7.3%4.8%4.3%6.4%
Gross profit9449721,0231,0511,0851,1361,2241,2961,3661,460
Research and development595258617580869197104
Operating income6877087678068248679431,0011,0581,121
Net income441457582612815785674818786826
Diluted EPS (US$)3.423.684.755.157.077.006.247.908.008.81
Diluted shares (millions)1291241231191151121081049894
Cash flow
Cash from operations6937036987547308078318549031,091
Capital expenditure27503740435327462823
Free cash flow6666536617146877548048088741,068
Dividends paid000000000215
Share buybacks6626216387837787231,0489011,226882
Acquisitions0000000000
Stock-based compensation50535251485359606170
Balance sheet at fiscal year end
Cash and short-term investments1,8082,4241,2791,2281,1761,211986932605582
Debt incl. finance leases1,8672,4101,7851,7881,7901,7861,7881,7901,7921,788
Total assets2,3352,9411,9141,8541,7671,9841,7331,7491,4061,326
Total liabilities3,5354,2023,3003,3443,1573,2443,2963,3303,3643,480
Shareholders' equity−1,201−1,260−1,386−1,490−1,390−1,260−1,562−1,581−1,958−2,154
Margins and ratios
Gross margin82.6%83.4%84.2%85.3%85.8%85.5%85.9%86.8%87.7%88.2%
Operating margin60.1%60.7%63.2%65.5%65.2%65.3%66.2%67.0%68.0%67.7%
Net margin38.6%39.2%47.9%49.7%64.4%59.1%47.3%54.8%50.5%49.8%
Free cash flow margin58.4%56.1%54.4%57.9%54.3%56.8%56.4%54.1%56.1%64.5%
Return on capital——————————
Return on equity——————————
Return on assets18.8%17.3%24.0%32.5%45.0%41.9%36.2%47.0%49.8%60.4%
Net debt to EBITDA0.1x−0.0x0.6x0.7x0.7x0.6x0.8x0.8x1.1x1.1x
US$ millions unless stated. Where a later 10-K restated a year, the latest filed figure is shown. Download all figures (CSV, US$ millions)
Source: Verisign's Form 10-K filings, from SEC EDGAR. For information only, not investment advice. The Filing Desk is not affiliated with Verisign.