VeriSign Stock vs Competition: Who Wins?
VeriSign‘s stock has delivered modest returns over the past year, but how does it stack up against peers navigating evolving internet infrastructure and security demands as of February 6, 2026? A closer look reveals exceptional profitability and free cash flow generation with stable, albeit moderate, revenue growth. Valuation appears elevated versus some peers, yet its entrenched market position suggests resilient performance in a competitive landscape. VeriSign‘s revenue growth, for instance, was around 6.37% (LTM), higher than Akamai (AKAM) but lower than Cloudflare (NET), Fastly (FSLY), and GoDaddy (GDDY). However, its LTM Operating Margin of approximately 67.67% and LTM Free Cash Flow Margin of around 64.49% significantly outperform its peers. Despite a PE ratio that appears higher than some competitors like GoDaddy, VeriSign benefits from a critical role as the exclusive registry operator for .com and .net domains, ensuring a predictable, high-margin revenue stream. The company forecasts operating income between $1.16 billion and $1.18 billion for fiscal year 2026.
- VRSN’s 67.7% operating margin reflects its domain registry’s high entry barriers and strong pricing power, ensuring exceptional profitability.
- VRSN’s 6.4% revenue growth, moderate vs. NET, FSLY, GDDY, reflects its mature domain registry market’s stability, not explosive demand.
- VRSN’s 2.7% stock gain and 25.1 PE suggest investors value its stability over growth, unlike higher-return, faster-growing CDN/security peers.
Here’s how VeriSign stacks up across size, valuation, and profitability versus key peers.
| VRSN | NET | AKAM | FSLY | GDDY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap ($ Bil) | 20.7 | 60.5 | 13.7 | 1.3 | 13.3 |
| Revenue ($ Bil) | 1.7 | 2.0 | 4.1 | 0.6 | 4.9 |
| PE Ratio | 25.1 | -587.2 | 26.9 | -9.1 | 16.1 |
| LTM Revenue Growth | 6.4% | 28.1% | 4.2% | 9.4% | 8.7% |
| LTM Operating Margin | 67.7% | -9.6% | 15.4% | -23.2% | 22.2% |
| LTM FCF Margin | 64.5% | 10.4% | 17.4% | 5.8% | 31.6% |
| 12M Market Return | 2.7% | 22.4% | -4.5% | -14.2% | -53.9% |
For more details on VeriSign, read Buy or Sell VRSN Stock. Below we compare VRSN’s growth, margin, and valuation with peers across years
Revenue Growth Comparison
- Better Value & Growth: VRSN Leads Akamai Technologies Stock
- Better Value & Growth: VRSN Leads Akamai Technologies Stock
- VRSN, GDDY Top Akamai Technologies Stock on Price & Potential
- Pay Less, Gain More: GDDY Tops VeriSign Stock
- Pay Less, Gain More: GDDY Tops VeriSign Stock
- GDDY Looks Smarter Buy Than VeriSign Stock
| LTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VRSN | 6.4% | 6.4% | 4.3% | 4.8% | |
| NET | 28.1% | – | 28.8% | 33.0% | 48.6% |
| AKAM | 4.2% | – | 4.7% | 5.4% | 4.5% |
| FSLY | 9.4% | – | 7.4% | 16.9% | 22.1% |
| GDDY | 8.7% | – | 7.5% | 4.0% | 7.2% |
Operating Margin Comparison
| LTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VRSN | 67.7% | 67.7% | 67.9% | 67.0% | |
| NET | -9.6% | – | -9.3% | -14.3% | -20.6% |
| AKAM | 15.4% | – | 15.9% | 18.5% | 19.7% |
| FSLY | -23.2% | – | -28.3% | -38.3% | -56.9% |
| GDDY | 22.2% | – | 20.4% | 15.0% | 12.6% |
PE Ratio Comparison
| LTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VRSN | 25.1 | 27.5 | 25.8 | 26.0 | |
| NET | -587.2 | – | -854.2 | -195.3 | -140.5 |
| AKAM | 26.9 | – | 26.2 | 26.6 | 36.0 |
| FSLY | -9.1 | – | -8.9 | -9.1 | -11.4 |
| GDDY | 16.1 | – | 18.7 | 21.3 | 47.9 |
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