VeriSign NASDAQ: VRSN reported stronger second-quarter 2026 results, citing record domain name registrations, continued solid renewal rates and a rising contribution from artificial intelligence-related tools that management said are making it easier for users to get online.
Executive Chairman, President and CEO Jim Bidzos said the company’s combined .com and .net domain name base reached 179.1 million names at the end of the quarter, up 3.05 million from the prior quarter. New registrations totaled a record 12.7 million, compared with 11.5 million in the prior quarter and 10.4 million in the second quarter of 2025.
“VeriSign delivered strong results in the second quarter of 2026, both operationally and financially,” Bidzos said. He also noted that the company marked 29 years of 100% availability for the .com and .net domain name resolution system.
Revenue and earnings rise
Chief Financial Officer John Calys said VeriSign generated second-quarter revenue of $435 million, up 6% from the same period a year earlier. Operating income was $296 million, an increase of $16 million, or 5.6%, from the prior-year quarter.
Net income totaled $217 million, compared with $207 million a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share were $2.38, up from $2.21 in the second quarter of 2025 and $2.34 in the prior quarter.
Operating cash flow was $232 million, while free cash flow was $213 million. That compared with operating cash flow of $202 million and free cash flow of $109 million in the year-ago period.
Calys said VeriSign ended the quarter with $1.034 billion in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. That total included $546 million of net proceeds from the issuance of 5.1% senior notes due in 2031. The company redeemed $550 million of outstanding 4.75% senior notes due in 2027 on July 20, reducing liquidity from the quarter-end level.
Domain growth guidance raised
Management raised and narrowed its 2026 guidance for domain name base growth to a range of 5.2% to 6%, citing trends observed in the first half of the year and expectations for the second half.
Bidzos said the expected renewal rate for the second quarter was 75.2%, compared with 75.5% a year earlier. He added that the first-quarter renewal rate was the highest VeriSign had seen in 20 years, and that first-time renewal rates have remained in a tight range in the mid-40% area for several quarters.
According to Bidzos, the strongest regional growth in the second quarter came from the U.S. and EMEA. He said registrar engagement with VeriSign’s marketing programs and customer acquisition efforts supported demand, while AI tools are making domain discovery, content creation and website creation faster and easier.
“The strength in new registrations attests to the vital role of domain names in being discovered and establishing digital credibility,” Bidzos said.
In response to an analyst question, Bidzos said several factors were working together, including the company’s infrastructure, registrar execution and AI-related tailwinds. He said it was difficult to precisely separate the impact of each factor. He also addressed whether the upcoming November .com wholesale price increase could be pulling forward demand, saying VeriSign did not view that as “anything coming close to a material factor” in current registration strength.
Full-year financial outlook updated
VeriSign updated its full-year financial guidance. The company now expects:
- Revenue of $1.745 billion to $1.755 billion.
- Operating income of $1.185 billion to $1.195 billion.
- Interest expense and non-operating net expense of $59 million to $65 million.
- Capital expenditures of $55 million to $65 million.
- A GAAP effective tax rate of 22% to 25%.
Calys said the capital expenditure outlook accounts for price increases in server memory chip markets, which he said have had a meaningful impact. He added that VeriSign has pulled forward some spending that otherwise would have been expected next year to avoid known upcoming price increases.
Bidzos said VeriSign would continue to make the necessary investments in equipment for its operations “without hesitation.”
.web delegated into DNS root zone
Bidzos also highlighted VeriSign’s announcement that .web has been delegated into the global Domain Name System root zone, with VeriSign as the registry operator. He said the delegation followed the resolution of previous disputes related to the generic top-level domain.
VeriSign plans to begin offering .web domains through channel partners later this year and said it does not currently expect meaningful revenue or expenses from .web in 2026.
Bidzos said .web differs from .com because it is governed by a standard registry agreement with ICANN and is not subject to the same cooperative agreement structure that applies to .com. He said VeriSign will have “complete wholesale pricing flexibility” for .web, subject to a six-month notice requirement to registrars, and will be able to sell premium names, which it cannot do for .com or .net.
Management outlined the expected launch sequence for .web, including a required 90-day security testing period and a minimum 30-day period for trademark holders. Bidzos said VeriSign also intends to run a limited registration period that would allow .com holders the opportunity to register the corresponding .web name before general availability.
General availability is expected either late this year or very early next year, Bidzos said.
Capital returns and new products
VeriSign’s board increased the company’s share repurchase authorization by $884 million, bringing total availability under the current program to $1.5 billion. The program has no expiration date.
The board also approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.81 per share, payable Aug. 27, 2026, to shareholders of record as of Aug. 19, 2026. Bidzos said VeriSign returned more than 100% of free cash flow to shareholders over the last 12 months through $1.17 billion in repurchases and dividends.
Bidzos said VeriSign has not paused its new product efforts, although it delayed related blog rollouts while focusing on .web delegation. He said the products are security-focused and rely on the company’s infrastructure, public key infrastructure history and DNS security experience.
Management said the products are designed for performance, reliability and global scale, with Bidzos pointing to increasing reliance on online services, especially AI-related services, and the need for deeper deployment of security technologies.
About VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN)
VeriSign, Inc NASDAQ: VRSN is an internet infrastructure company that operates critical components of the global Domain Name System (DNS) and provides cybersecurity-related services. The company is best known as the authoritative registry operator for the .com and .net top-level domains, maintaining the central databases and zone files that enable domain name resolution for millions of websites. VeriSign's registry role is performed under contractual agreements with Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and involves high-availability, highly secure operations to support continuous internet connectivity.
In addition to its registry business, VeriSign offers a suite of services designed to protect and accelerate DNS and internet traffic for enterprises and service providers.
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