Verisign (NASDAQ: VRSN) grows Q1 2026 revenue and boosts EPS
Filing Impact
Filing Sentiment
Form Type
8-K
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Verisign, Inc. reported solid first quarter 2026 results with revenue of $428.9 million, up 6.6% from the same quarter in 2025. Net income rose to $214.5 million, and diluted EPS increased to $2.34 from $2.10.
Cash flow from operations was $272.4 million, and the company repurchased 0.9 million shares for $214 million, leaving $863 million authorized for future buybacks. The board approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.81 per share.
Verisign ended the quarter with 176.1 million .com and .net domain registrations, up 3.7% year over year, and processed 11.5 million new registrations. It plans to raise the wholesale fee for .com registrations from $10.26 to $10.97 effective Nov. 1, 2026.
Positive
- Earnings and EPS growth: Q1 2026 revenue rose to $428.9 million, up 6.6% year over year, while net income increased to $214.5 million and diluted EPS advanced from $2.10 to $2.34, indicating improving profitability.
- Capital returns and pricing power: Verisign repurchased 0.9 million shares for $214 million, maintains $863 million of remaining authorization, declared a $0.81 dividend, and plans to raise the .com wholesale fee from $10.26 to $10.97 effective Nov. 1, 2026.
Negative
- None.
Insights
Verisign delivered profitable Q1 growth with rising EPS and active capital returns.
Verisign grew Q1 2026 revenue to $428.9 million, up 6.6% year over year, while net income reached $214.5 million. Diluted EPS increased from $2.10 to $2.34, showing earnings expanding faster than sales.
Operations generated strong cash flow of $272.4 million, supporting $214 million of share repurchases and a $0.81-per-share dividend approved for payment on May 27, 2026. Deferred revenues of $1.43 billion as of March 31, 2026 highlight substantial contracted business.
Domain fundamentals remain solid, with 176.1 million .com and .net registrations and 11.5 million new registrations in the quarter. The planned increase in the .com wholesale fee effective Nov. 1, 2026 provides a clear future pricing step that could support revenue, subject to market response and regulatory considerations.
8-K Event Classification
2 items: 2.02, 9.01
2 items
Item 2.02
Results of Operations and Financial Condition
Financial
Disclosure of earnings results, typically an earnings press release or preliminary financials.
Item 9.01
Financial Statements and Exhibits
Exhibits
Financial statements, pro forma financial information, and exhibit attachments filed with this report.
Key Figures
Revenue: $428.9 million
Net income: $214.5 million
Diluted EPS: $2.34
+5 more
8 metrics
Revenue
$428.9 million
Three months ended March 31, 2026; up 6.6% year over year
Net income
$214.5 million
Three months ended March 31, 2026
Diluted EPS
$2.34
Q1 2026, compared with $2.10 in Q1 2025
Cash from operations
$272.4 million
Three months ended March 31, 2026
Share repurchases
$214 million (0.9 million shares)
Q1 2026; $863 million remaining authorization
Dividend per share
$0.81
Cash dividend approved April 20, 2026, payable May 27, 2026
.com/.net domain base
176.1 million registrations
End of Q1 2026; 3.7% increase year over year
New .com/.net registrations
11.5 million
Processed in Q1 2026 vs. 10.1 million in Q1 2025
Key Terms
deferred revenues, diluted earnings per share, Domain Name System, renewal rate, +1 more
5 terms
deferred revenues financial
"Deferred revenues as of March 31, 2026 totaled $1.43 billion"
Deferred revenues are cash a company has received up front for goods or services it has not yet delivered; the company records this as a promise to fulfill an obligation later rather than as current earned sales. Investors care because deferred revenues show how much future work a firm must complete before that cash counts as profit, similar to buying a prepaid subscription or gift card that the seller still needs to honor.
Domain Name System technical
"helps enable the security, stability, and resiliency of the Domain Name System and the internet"
renewal rate financial
"The final .com and .net renewal rate for the fourth quarter of 2025 was 75.0 percent"
Renewal rate measures the percentage of customers, subscriptions, or contracts that are renewed over a given period, showing how many existing buyers continue paying or extend their agreement instead of leaving. It matters to investors because a high renewal rate signals predictable, repeatable revenue and lower marketing costs—like a neighborhood store with loyal regulars—while a low rate warns of customer churn and greater risk to future income.
forward-looking statements regulatory
"constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933"
Forward-looking statements are predictions or plans that companies share about what they expect to happen in the future, like estimating sales or profits. They matter because they help investors understand a company's outlook, but since they are based on guesses and assumptions, they can sometimes be wrong.
Earnings Snapshot
Revenue: $428.9 million
Q1 2026
Revenue
$428.9 million
+6.6% year over year
Net income
$214.5 million
vs. $199.3 million in Q1 2025
Diluted EPS
$2.34
vs. $2.10 in Q1 2025
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): April 23, 2026
VERISIGN, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
| (Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) | |||||||
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) | ||||||||||
(703 ) 948-3200
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Not applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) | |||||
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) | |||||
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) | |||||
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) | |||||
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company | ||||||||
| If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. | ☐ | |||||||
Item 2.02. | Results of Operations and Financial Condition. | ||||
On April 23, 2026, VeriSign, Inc. issued a press release reporting its financial results for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2026. A copy of this press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.
The information in this Item 2.02 of Form 8-K and the Exhibit attached hereto shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.
Item 9.01. | Financial Statements and Exhibits. | ||||
(d) Exhibits
Exhibit Number | Description | |||||||
| 99.1 | Text of press release of VeriSign, Inc. issued on April 23, 2026. | |||||||
| 104 | Inline XBRL for the cover page of this Current Report on Form 8-K | |||||||
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
VERISIGN, INC. | ||||||||||||||
Date: April 23, 2026 | By: | /s/ Thomas C. Indelicarto | ||||||||||||
Thomas C. Indelicarto | ||||||||||||||
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | ||||||||||||||
Verisign Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
RESTON, VA - April 23, 2026 - VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), a global provider of critical internet infrastructure and domain name registry services, today reported financial results for the first quarter of 2026.
VeriSign, Inc. and its subsidiaries (“Verisign”) reported revenue of $429 million for the first quarter of 2026, up 6.6 percent from the same quarter in 2025. Operating income was $294 million for the first quarter of 2026, compared to $271 million for the same quarter of 2025. Verisign reported net income of $215 million and diluted earnings per share (diluted “EPS”) of $2.34 for the first quarter of 2026, compared to net income of $199 million and diluted EPS of $2.10 for the same quarter of 2025.
“Through the first quarter of 2026 we continued to execute on our primary mission, extending into its 29th year our unparalleled record of providing 100% availability of our resolution service for the .com/.net domains. For the quarter, we delivered both steady growth in registrations and solid financial results,” said Jim Bidzos, Executive Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.
Financial Highlights
•Verisign ended the first quarter of 2026 with cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $556 million, a decrease of $24 million from year-end 2025.
•Cash flow from operations was $272 million for the first quarter of 2026, compared to $291 million for the same quarter of 2025.
•Deferred revenues as of March 31, 2026 totaled $1.43 billion, an increase of $45 million from year-end 2025.
•During the first quarter of 2026, Verisign repurchased 0.9 million shares of its common stock for $214 million. As of March 31, 2026, there was $863 million remaining for future share repurchases under the share repurchase program, which has no expiration.
•On April 20, 2026, Verisign’s Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of $0.81 per share of Verisign’s outstanding common stock to stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 19, 2026, payable on May 27, 2026.
Business Highlights
•Verisign ended the first quarter of 2026 with 176.1 million .com and .net domain name registrations in the domain name base, a 3.7 percent increase from the end of the first quarter of 2025, and a net increase of 2.54 million domain names during the first quarter of 2026.
•During the first quarter of 2026, Verisign processed 11.5 million new domain name registrations for .com and .net, compared with 10.1 million for the first quarter of 2025.
•The final .com and .net renewal rate for the fourth quarter of 2025 was 75.0 percent compared to 74.0 percent for the same quarter of 2024. Renewal rates are not fully measurable until 45 days after the end of the quarter.
•Verisign announces that it will increase the annual registry-level wholesale fee for each new and renewal .com domain name registration from $10.26 to $10.97 effective Nov. 1, 2026.
Today’s Conference Call
Verisign will host a live conference call today at 4:30 p.m. (EDT) to review the first quarter 2026 results. The call will be accessible by direct dial at (888) 676-VRSN (U.S.) or (646) 769-9200 (international), conference ID: Verisign. A listen-only live web cast of the conference call and accompanying slide presentation will also be available at https://investor.verisign.com. An audio archive of the call will be available at https://investor.verisign.com/events.cfm. This news release and the financial information discussed on today’s conference call are available at https://investor.verisign.com.
About Verisign
Verisign (NASDAQ: VRSN), a global provider of critical internet infrastructure and domain name registry services, enables internet navigation for many of the world’s most recognized domain names. Verisign helps enable the security, stability, and resiliency of the Domain Name System and the internet by providing root zone maintainer services, operating two of the 13 global internet root servers, and providing registration services and authoritative resolution for the .com and .net top-level domains, which support the majority of global e-commerce. To learn more please visit verisign.com.
Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, attempted security breaches, cyber-attacks, and DDoS attacks against our systems and services; the introduction of undetected or unknown defects in our systems or services; vulnerabilities in the global routing system; system interruptions or system failures; damage or interruptions to our data centers, data center systems or resolution systems; risks arising from our operation of root servers and our performance of the Root Zone Maintainer functions; any loss or modification of our right to operate the .com and .net gTLDs; changes or challenges to the pricing provisions of the .com Registry Agreement; new or existing governmental laws and regulations in the U.S. or other applicable non-U.S. jurisdictions; new laws, regulations, directives or ICANN policies that require us to obtain and maintain personal information of registrants; economic, legal, regulatory, and political risks associated with our international operations; unfavorable changes in, or interpretations of, tax rules and regulations; risks from the implementation of ICANN’s consensus and temporary policies, technical standards and other processes; the weakening of, or changes to, the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance; the outcome of claims, lawsuits, audits or investigations; challenging economic conditions; our ability to compete in the highly competitive business environment in which we operate; changes in internet practices and behavior and the adoption of substitute technologies, or the negative impact of wholesale price increases; our ability to expand our services into developing and emerging economies; our ability to maintain strong relationships with registrars and their resellers; our ability to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled employees; the continuity of our quarterly dividend; our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights; challenges from the use of AI technology by third-parties or us; and the impact on our stock price from the dissemination of false or misleading information by unrelated third parties. More information about potential factors that could affect our business and financial results is included in our filings with the SEC, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2025 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Verisign undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this announcement.
Contacts
Investor Relations: David Atchley, datchley@verisign.com, 703-948-3447
Media Relations: David McGuire, davmcguire@verisign.com, 703-948-3800
©2026 VeriSign, Inc. All rights reserved. VERISIGN, the VERISIGN logo, and other trademarks, service marks, and designs are registered or unregistered trademarks of VeriSign, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and in foreign countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
VERISIGN, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In millions, except par value)
(Unaudited)
| March 31, 2026 | December 31, 2025 | ||||||||||
| ASSETS | |||||||||||
| Current assets: | |||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 476.7 | $ | 307.9 | |||||||
| Marketable securities | 79.7 | 272.6 | |||||||||
| Other current assets | 69.6 | 72.0 | |||||||||
| Total current assets | 626.0 | 652.5 | |||||||||
| Property and equipment, net | 214.2 | 213.7 | |||||||||
| Goodwill | 52.5 | 52.5 | |||||||||
| Deferred tax assets | 227.9 | 233.2 | |||||||||
| Deposits to acquire intangible assets | 145.2 | 145.2 | |||||||||
| Other long-term assets | 31.4 | 28.8 | |||||||||
| Total long-term assets | 671.2 | 673.4 | |||||||||
| Total assets | $ | 1,297.2 | $ | 1,325.9 | |||||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT | |||||||||||
| Current liabilities: | |||||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | $ | 283.9 | $ | 298.0 | |||||||
| Deferred revenues | 1,071.2 | 1,035.1 | |||||||||
| Total current liabilities | 1,355.1 | 1,333.1 | |||||||||
| Long-term deferred revenues | 358.2 | 349.4 | |||||||||
| Long-term senior notes | 1,788.8 | 1,788.2 | |||||||||
| Long-term tax and other liabilities | 8.5 | 9.4 | |||||||||
| Total long-term liabilities | 2,155.5 | 2,147.0 | |||||||||
| Total liabilities | 3,510.6 | 3,480.1 | |||||||||
| Commitments and contingencies | |||||||||||
| Stockholders’ deficit: | |||||||||||
| Preferred stock—par value $.001 per share; Authorized shares: 5.0; Issued and outstanding shares: none | — | — | |||||||||
| Common stock and additional paid-in capital—par value $.001 per share; Authorized shares: 1,000; Issued shares: 355.8 at March 31, 2026 and 355.6 at December 31, 2025; Outstanding shares: 91.1 at March 31, 2026 and 91.9 at December 31, 2025 | 9,349.9 | 9,623.5 | |||||||||
| Accumulated deficit | (11,560.5) | (11,775.0) | |||||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (2.8) | (2.7) | |||||||||
| Total stockholders’ deficit | (2,213.4) | (2,154.2) | |||||||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders’ deficit | $ | 1,297.2 | $ | 1,325.9 | |||||||
VERISIGN, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(In millions, except per share data)
(Unaudited)
| Three Months Ended March 31, | |||||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | ||||||||||
| Revenues | $ | 428.9 | $ | 402.3 | |||||||
| Costs and expenses: | |||||||||||
| Cost of revenues | 49.2 | 49.4 | |||||||||
| Research and development | 27.5 | 26.0 | |||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 58.6 | 55.7 | |||||||||
| Total costs and expenses | 135.3 | 131.1 | |||||||||
| Operating income | 293.6 | 271.2 | |||||||||
| Interest expense | (18.9) | (20.3) | |||||||||
| Non-operating income, net | 4.7 | 7.5 | |||||||||
| Income before income taxes | 279.4 | 258.4 | |||||||||
| Income tax expense | (64.9) | (59.1) | |||||||||
| Net income | 214.5 | 199.3 | |||||||||
| Other comprehensive loss | (0.1) | (0.3) | |||||||||
| Comprehensive income | $ | 214.4 | $ | 199.0 | |||||||
| Earnings per share: | |||||||||||
| Basic | $ | 2.34 | $ | 2.11 | |||||||
| Diluted | $ | 2.34 | $ | 2.10 | |||||||
| Shares used to compute earnings per share | |||||||||||
| Basic | 91.6 | 94.6 | |||||||||
| Diluted | 91.8 | 94.8 | |||||||||
VERISIGN, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In millions)
(Unaudited)
| Three Months Ended March 31, | |||||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | ||||||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities: | |||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 214.5 | $ | 199.3 | |||||||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: | |||||||||||
| Depreciation of property and equipment | 6.4 | 8.9 | |||||||||
| Stock-based compensation expense | 19.1 | 17.5 | |||||||||
| Amortization of discount on investments in debt securities | (1.6) | (3.6) | |||||||||
| Other, net | 0.4 | 1.1 | |||||||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | |||||||||||
| Other assets | (0.4) | 0.2 | |||||||||
| Other liabilities | (16.2) | 6.6 | |||||||||
| Deferred revenues | 44.9 | 57.2 | |||||||||
| Net deferred income taxes | 5.3 | 4.1 | |||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 272.4 | 291.3 | |||||||||
| Cash flows from investing activities: | |||||||||||
| Proceeds from maturities and sales of marketable securities | 273.8 | 358.6 | |||||||||
| Purchases of marketable securities | (79.4) | (35.2) | |||||||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (7.2) | (5.8) | |||||||||
| Net cash provided by investing activities | 187.2 | 317.6 | |||||||||
| Cash flows from financing activities: | |||||||||||
| Repurchases of common stock | (225.4) | (241.7) | |||||||||
| Payment of dividends | (74.2) | — | |||||||||
| Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan | 8.5 | 7.9 | |||||||||
| Repayment of borrowings | — | (500.0) | |||||||||
| Proceeds from senior note issuance, net of issuance costs | — | 493.9 | |||||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (291.1) | (239.9) | |||||||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash | 0.3 | (0.3) | |||||||||
| Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash | 168.8 | 368.7 | |||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period | 309.5 | 212.1 | |||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period | $ | 478.3 | $ | 580.8 | |||||||
| Supplemental cash flow disclosures: | |||||||||||
| Cash paid for interest | $ | 13.1 | $ | 26.2 | |||||||
| Cash paid for income taxes, net of refunds received | $ | 28.7 | $ | 20.0 | |||||||
FAQ
How did Verisign (VRSN) perform financially in Q1 2026?
Verisign reported Q1 2026 revenue of $428.9 million, up 6.6% from 2025, and net income of $214.5 million. Diluted EPS increased to $2.34 from $2.10, reflecting both top-line growth and stronger profitability compared with the prior-year quarter.
What was Verisign (VRSN)’s cash flow and balance sheet position in Q1 2026?
Operating activities generated $272.4 million of cash in Q1 2026. Verisign ended the quarter with $476.7 million in cash and cash equivalents and $79.7 million in marketable securities, alongside total assets of $1.30 billion and total liabilities of $3.51 billion.
How much stock did Verisign (VRSN) repurchase and what remains authorized?
During Q1 2026, Verisign repurchased 0.9 million shares of common stock for $214 million. As of March 31, 2026, the company had $863 million remaining under its share repurchase program, which does not have an expiration date.
How are Verisign’s .com and .net domain registrations trending?
Verisign ended Q1 2026 with 176.1 million .com and .net domain registrations, up 3.7% year over year. The company processed 11.5 million new registrations in the quarter, and the final .com and .net renewal rate for Q4 2025 was 75.0%.
Is Verisign (VRSN) changing the .com wholesale domain fee?
Verisign plans to increase the annual registry-level wholesale fee for each new and renewal .com domain registration from $10.26 to $10.97. This new pricing becomes effective on November 1, 2026, affecting future new and renewal registrations.