At a glance
VeriSign, Inc. is worth $27.66B. Revenue grew 6.4% to $1.66B in fiscal 2025, with 49.8% kept as profit; over 5 years it has grown 5.5% a year. It pays a 1.04% dividend yield, and returned $4.99B to shareholders in dividends and buybacks over FY2021–FY2025. The stock returned +30.2% over the past year with dividends reinvested and +6.8% a year over five years, against +11.5% and +11.7% for the S&P 500. At its worst it fell 28.4% in the 2020 crash (S&P 500: 33.7%) and 37.9% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 1 month and 33 months after the lows.
The business in plain English
Verisign runs the master directories, called registries, for .com and .net, the web address endings that support most of the world's online commerce. It also runs .name, .cc and versions of .com and .net in other languages, and handles the back-end systems for .edu. ICANN is the body that coordinates internet names. Under an agreement with ICANN, Verisign maintains the root zone at the top of the Domain Name System (DNS), which matches web names to numeric addresses. It also operates two of the 13 root servers.
Verisign does not deal with the public. Registrars are the retail companies that register names for customers. They pay Verisign a fee for each year a name is registered, for terms of one to 10 years, and they set retail prices. Verisign's ICANN agreements limit how much it can raise .com, .net and .name prices. The .com registry also falls under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce. The model is highly profitable. In fiscal 2025, which ended December 31, 2025, revenue was $1.66 billion, up 6.4%, and 67.7 cents of each revenue dollar remained as operating profit.
By region, in fiscal 2025 the U.S. accounted for 66% of revenue, Europe, the Middle East and Africa 16.9%, Asia Pacific 11.1% and other regions 6%.
Price history
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VRSN +30.2% over the year to Nov 2, 2026, total return with dividends reinvested.
How it makes money
By geography
| U.S. | $1.09B | 66% |
| EMEA | $279.4M | 16.9% |
| Asia Pacific | $184.6M | 11.1% |
| Other | $99.5M | 6% |
Latest results
- In Q3 FY2026 (ended Sep 30, 2026), revenue was $443.0M, up 5.7% from a year earlier, and net income was $212.6M (-0.1%).
- For fiscal 2025, revenue was $1.66B (+6.4% year over year; +5.5% a year from FY2020 to FY2025) with a 49.8% net margin.
Financial health check
| Revenue growth a year (FY2020–FY2025) | +5.5% good |
|---|---|
| Operating margin | 67.7% good |
| Free cash flow margin | 64.5% good |
| Return on assets (FY2025) | 62.3% good |
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | $-1.31B weak |
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Net income | Free cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $1.27B | $814.9M | $686.8M |
| FY2021 | $1.33B | $784.8M | $754.2M |
| FY2022 | $1.42B | $673.8M | $803.7M |
| FY2023 | $1.49B | $817.6M | $808.0M |
| FY2024 | $1.56B | $785.7M | $874.5M |
| FY2025 | $1.66B | $825.7M | $1.07B |
Valuation snapshot
| Market value | $27.66B |
|---|---|
| P/E ratio | — |
| Dividend yield | 1.04% |
Rank among 1514 US companies
Market value at each year end
VeriSign’s market value went from $7.95B at the end of 2016 to $27.66B on Nov 2, 2026, about 3.5 times as much; since the end of 2025 it is up 23%.
Show as a table
| Year end | Market value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2, 2026 | $27.66B | +22.8% |
| 2025 | $22.52B | +13.2% |
| 2024 | $19.89B | -5.4% |
| 2023 | $21.03B | -3.5% |
| 2022 | $21.78B | -22.7% |
| 2021 | $28.19B | +14.2% |
| 2020 | $24.69B | +9.2% |
| 2019 | $22.62B | +26.2% |
| 2018 | $17.93B | +58.9% |
| 2017 | $11.28B | +41.8% |
| 2016 | $7.95B |
Price behavior
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VRSN price data to Nov 2, 2026 | +28.1% | +30.2% | +16.2% | +6.8% | +14.5% |
Show as a table
| Year | Price data |
|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +28.1% |
| 2025 | +18.4% |
| 2024 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | -19.1% |
| 2021 | +17.3% |
| 2020 | +12.3% |
| 2019 | +29.9% |
| 2018 | +29.6% |
| 2017 | +50.4% |
| 2016 | -12.9% |
| 2015 | +53.3% |
| 2014 | -4.7% |
| 2013 | +54.0% |
| 2012 | +8.7% |
| 2011 | +18.0% |
| 2010 | +46.6% |
| 2009 | +27.0% |
| 2008 | -49.3% |
| 2007 | +56.4% |
| 2006 | +9.8% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Lost 42.1% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 59.6%, back to its old high 29.7 months after the low |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Lost 28.4% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 28.4%, back to its old high 1 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 30.3% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 37.9%, back to its old high 33.3 months after the low |
Insider activity
Form 4 filings from 2025-10-29 to 2026-10-29 (25 read): 2 open-market purchases ($6K) and 64 sales ($13.3M), 63 of them under pre-arranged 10b5-1 trading plans.
| Date | Insider | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 26, 2026 | Danny R McPherson EVP - Technology & CSO | sell | $989K |
| Oct 20, 2026 | D James Bidzos Exec. Chairman, Pres, & CEO, Director | sell (plan) | $705K |
| Sep 29, 2026 | D James Bidzos Exec. Chairman, Pres, & CEO, Director | sell (plan) | $559K |
| Sep 1, 2026 | D James Bidzos Exec. Chairman, Pres, & CEO, Director | sell (plan) | $553K |
| Oct 6, 2026 | D James Bidzos Exec. Chairman, Pres, & CEO, Director | sell (plan) | $525K |
Who owns it
Large shareholders (13G filings)
| Warren E. Buffett | 9.7% | Sep 30, 2025 |
| BlackRock, Inc. | 7.7% | Mar 31, 2025 |
| Vanguard Capital Management | 6.74% | Mar 31, 2026 |
| Vanguard Portfolio Management | 5.73% | Mar 31, 2026 |
| AQR Capital Management, LLC | 5.44% | Jun 30, 2026 |
ETFs with the most weight in VRSN
| LSAT Leadershares Alphafactor Tactical Focused ETF | 3.38% |
| LRGG Macquarie Focused Large Growth ETF | 3.08% |
| IETC iShares U.S. Tech Independence Focused ETF | 3.06% |
| EMOT First Trust S&P 500 Economic Moat ETF | 2.6% |
| HUSV First Trust Horizon Managed Volatility Domestic ETF | 2.52% |
| SEIQ SEI Enhanced U.S. Large Cap Quality Factor ETF | 2.27% |
| ABFL Abacus FCF Leaders ETF | 2.23% |
| SAGP Strategas Global Policy Opportunities ETF | 2.08% |
What could go wrong
- Its right to run .com could change. Verisign runs .com and its other registries under agreements with ICANN, and .com also under a Commerce Department agreement. Losing these rights, or getting worse terms, could do serious damage to the business.
- Prices can rise only within set limits. Unlike other generic domain endings, .com, .net and .name prices can rise only as ICANN agreements allow. The 10-K also warns that raising wholesale prices could itself reduce demand for names.
- Rule changes in internet governance. ICANN policies and technical standards can change the rules Verisign must follow. Governments, companies and users share oversight of the internet. If that shared model weakens, the business could suffer.
- A constant target for cyberattacks. As an operator of critical internet infrastructure, Verisign faces frequent, sophisticated attacks. These include DDoS attacks, floods of junk traffic meant to knock systems offline. The 10-K says AI tools are making attacks harder to stop.
- System failures could be costly and public. Its data centers, registration system and root server duties must run nonstop. Software defects, events beyond its control or weak points in internet routing could interrupt service, create liability and hurt its reputation.
- Demand for domain names could weaken. New technologies, changing internet habits or substitute tools could reduce demand for .com and .net names. Verisign also relies on registrars and their resellers to keep marketing those names.
Recent events
- Quarterly results released
- Other company announcement
- Quarterly results released; Other company announcement
- Major agreement signed
- Other company announcement
- Executive or board change; Shareholder vote results
- Quarterly results released
- Quarterly results released
- Executive or board change
For income and retirement investors
Verisign pays a small dividend, and it is new. It paid nothing in fiscal 2023 or 2024, then $2.31 a share in fiscal 2025. That was about 26% of earnings and 20% of free cash flow (cash left after running and investing in the business). The yield was 1.04% as of October 28, 2026, which offers little income. Buybacks (the company repurchasing its own shares) matter far more: $4.78 billion from fiscal 2021 to 2025, against $215 million in dividends. Shares outstanding fell 19.2% between October 2021 and October 2026. The 10-K warns that dividends may not continue.
In the 2008 financial crisis the stock fell 59.6% and took until May 2011 to recover. It dropped 28.4% in the 2020 COVID crash but recovered within about a month. In the 2022 bear market it fell 37.9% and did not regain its peak until March 2025. Single stocks carry more risk than diversified funds.
Questions investors ask
How does Verisign make money?
Verisign earns a fee from registrars for each year a domain name is registered in the registries it runs, mainly .com and .net. Registrars set the retail price customers pay. In fiscal 2025, which ended December 31, 2025, revenue was $1.66 billion. Free cash flow, the cash left after running and investing in the business, was $1.07 billion. The U.S. supplied 66% of revenue, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa 16.9%.
Does Verisign pay a dividend?
Yes, though the dividend is new. Verisign paid nothing in fiscal 2023 or 2024, then $2.31 a share in fiscal 2025, about 26% of that year's earnings. The yield was 1.04% as of October 28, 2026. The record is too short to show a history of steady increases, and the 10-K warns that Verisign may not pay dividends in the future. Buybacks have been its main way of returning cash to shareholders.
Can Verisign raise .com prices?
Only within limits. Unlike other generic domain endings, the wholesale prices Verisign charges for .com, .net and .name can rise only as its ICANN agreements allow. Registrars, not Verisign, set the retail prices customers pay. Verisign pays ICANN $0.2575 for each annual .com registration. The 10-K also warns that raising wholesale prices could reduce demand for domain names, so higher prices carry their own risk.
How much debt does Verisign have?
Verisign had $1.79 billion of total debt and $476.1 million of cash and investments as of September 30, 2026, or about $1.31 billion of net debt. Shareholders' equity was negative $2.28 billion, meaning liabilities exceeded assets on the balance sheet. Negative equity can come from heavy buybacks rather than losses. Verisign spent $4.78 billion on buybacks from fiscal 2021 to 2025 and made a profit every year. Free cash flow was $1.07 billion in fiscal 2025.
How has Verisign stock performed?
As of October 28, 2026, Verisign's share price had gained 29.3% over one year, 8.2% a year over five years and 14% a year over ten years. The path was uneven. The stock fell 19.1% in 2022, was nearly flat in 2023 and 2024, rose 18.4% in 2025 and was up 27.6% for 2026 through October 28. Its one-year beta of 0.12 means it moved little with the overall stock market over that period.