Verisign management check
VRSN · Information Technology · Internet Services & Infrastructure · CEO Bidzos
Filings as of
4 good · 2 to watch · 1 flagged, across the seven questions below.
- Flag
Have owners done well?
Trailed its chosen peers$100 invested at the start of fiscal 2021 grew to $113, against $258 for the peer group the company picked itself.
- Good
Does pay follow performance?
Pay rose and fell with returnsOver 5 years, the CEO's pay actually paid (equity valued at the share price) had a correlation of 0.69 with shareholder return. 1 means pay moved in step; below 0, the opposite way.
- Watch
What does the CEO cost owners?
1.9% of net income$15.5m of reported pay in fiscal 2025, against $825.7m of net income.
- Watch
Do they own the stock?
Insiders are selling4 insiders sold $22.6m in the last six months, against $11k bought. 113 of 115 sales ran on pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans.
- Good
Are owners being diluted?
Share count shrinkingDiluted shares changed -4.8% a year over the last three fiscal years. Stock-based pay was 4.2% of revenue in the latest year.
- Good
Is leadership stable?
8 leadership filings in 3 yearsCEO in the pay table: Bidzos. 8 filings under 8-K item 5.02 (officers or directors leaving or joining, or new pay arrangements) in the last 3 years.
- Good
Are the books clean?
No red flags on fileNo restatements, auditor changes or late filings since 2021.
Against the S&P 500
Each check's score (0–100) and how it compares: the share of ranked S&P 500 companies it matches or beats, and the median in Information Technology.
| Check | Score | At or above | Sector median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner returns | 0 | 33 | |
| Pay for performance | 84 | 87 | |
| CEO cost | 27 | 35 | |
| Skin in the game | — | — | 47 |
| Dilution | 100 | 56 | |
| Stable leadership | 85 | 85 | |
| Clean books | 100 | 100 |
Closest peers
Others in Internet Services & Infrastructure, by management score. Verisign is 27th of 73 in its sector.
- 42GDDYGoDaddy82
- 225VRSNVerisign66
- 228JBLJabil66
- 235MRVLMarvell Technology66
- 236QCOMQualcomm65
- 425AKAMAkamai Technologies50
Pay versus performance
From the proxy statement filed April 10, 2026. "Actually paid" values stock awards at the share price, so it rises and falls with the stock.
| Fiscal year | CEO | CEO pay | Actually paid | Other executives (avg) | $100 became | Peers | Net income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Bidzos | $15.5m | $24.2m | $4.5m | $113 | $258 | $825.7m |
| 2024 | — | $14.1m | $11.8m | $4.4m | $96 | $208 | $785.7m |
| 2023 | — | $12.2m | $10.2m | $4.3m | $95 | $152 | $817.6m |
| 2022 | — | $11.3m | $6.6m | $3.9m | $95 | $97 | $673.8m |
| 2021 | — | $10.1m | $13.3m | $3.5m | $117 | $135 | $784.8m |
Its other key measures: Operating Income, CAGR of Operating Income, Revenue, Relative TSR vs. S&P 500.
Insiders and the CEO's stake
4 insiders sold $22.6m in the last six months, against $11k bought. 113 of 115 sales ran on pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans.
- BoughtCourtney D ArmstrongDirector$11kAug 27, 2026
- SoldD James BidzosExec. Chairman, Pres, & CEO · 10b5-1 plan$19.7mOct 20, 2026
- SoldThomas C IndelicartoEVP, Gen Counsel & Secretary · 10b5-1 plan$1.4mOct 8, 2026
- SoldDanny R McPhersonEVP - Technology & CSO$1.4mApr 28, 2026
Leadership and governance on file
- May 21, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Nov 25, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Oct 8, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jun 12, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jun 2, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Apr 25, 2025Leadership change8-K/A 5.02
- Feb 13, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Feb 15, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
Latest shareholder vote results: May 21, 2026, including the say-on-pay vote.
Where the money went
Over 2021–2025: $5.0bn returned to owners in buybacks and dividends, 128% of net income, and $302.5m of pay in stock.
| Fiscal year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $1.3bn | $1.4bn | $1.5bn | $1.6bn | $1.7bn |
| Net income | $784.8m | $673.8m | $817.6m | $785.7m | $825.7m |
| Stock-based pay | $53.4m | $58.6m | $59.7m | $61.1m | $69.7m |
| Buybacks | $722.6m | $1.0bn | $901.4m | $1.2bn | $881.6m |
| Dividends | — | — | $0 | $0 | $215.2m |
| Diluted shares | 112m | 108m | 104m | 98m | 94m |
Educational only, not investment advice. Figures are as filed with the SEC: pay from the proxy's pay-versus-performance table, capital allocation from 10-K XBRL data, insider trades from Form 4s over the last six months, events from the last 5 years of filings. The peer group is the one the company chose. See the method.