Verisign Q3 2026: Revenue streak continues as EPS falls short
As seen on the 24/7 Wall St. homepage on October 22, 2026.
Domain growth is still intact, with the .com and .net base up 6.1% year over year to 182.5 million registrations. EPS missed expectations, dragged in part by a pre-tax loss on assets held for sale, while revenue topped consensus for the eighth straight quarterly step higher.
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Verisign posted $443 million in revenue for the third quarter of 2026, topping the consensus estimate and marking the eighth consecutive quarter of revenue growth, evidence that its grip on .com and .net domain name infrastructure still holds.
GAAP diluted EPS came in at $2.35, missing the consensus estimate, with a pre-tax operating loss tied to certain assets held for sale accounting for a meaningful portion of the shortfall. Higher SG&A and interest expense added to the drag.
On the demand side, the .com and .net domain name base reached 182.5 million registrations, with new registrations processed in the quarter running ahead of the year-ago period. The renewal rate edged down slightly, a figure worth monitoring in future quarters.
CEO Jim Bidzos pointed to two emerging growth vectors alongside the core domain business. The rollout of the .web top-level domain remains on track, and the company opened a limited beta for Verisign Informed, a high-assurance validation service designed to authenticate data and users. Neither has yet contributed meaningfully to revenue, but both represent areas the market will be gauging for longer-term optionality.
On capital return, Verisign repurchased shares for $189 million during the quarter and declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.81 per share, payable November 24 to shareholders of record as of November 17, with the repurchase program still open and carrying no expiration date.
Mentioned: VRSN