VeriSign (VRSN) Competitors

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) and Equinix (NASDAQ:EQIX) are both large-cap internet software & services companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, profitability, earnings, media sentiment, institutional ownership, risk and analyst recommendations.

Does the media refer more to VRSN or EQIX?

In the previous week, Equinix had 14 more articles in the media than VeriSign. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for Equinix and 16 mentions for VeriSign. VeriSign's average media sentiment score of 1.57 beat Equinix's score of 1.42 indicating that VeriSign is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
VeriSign	15 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Equinix	24 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is VRSN or EQIX a better dividend stock?

VeriSign pays an annual dividend of $3.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Equinix pays an annual dividend of $18.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. VeriSign pays out 36.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Equinix pays out 183.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Equinix has increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years. Equinix is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in VRSN or EQIX?

92.9% of VeriSign shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.9% of Equinix shares are held by institutional investors. 0.8% of VeriSign shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Equinix shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Which has more risk and volatility, VRSN or EQIX?

VeriSign has a beta of 0.79, suggesting that its stock price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Equinix has a beta of 0.92, suggesting that its stock price is 8% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has stronger earnings & valuation, VRSN or EQIX?

Equinix has higher revenue and earnings than VeriSign. VeriSign is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Equinix, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
VeriSign	$1.56B	16.40	$785.70M	$8.38	32.62
Equinix	$8.75B	8.79	$815M	$10.21	77.00

Is VRSN or EQIX more profitable?

VeriSign has a net margin of 50.05% compared to Equinix's net margin of 11.11%. Equinix's return on equity of 7.22% beat VeriSign's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
VeriSign	50.05%	-40.87%	55.90%
Equinix	11.11%	7.22%	2.73%

Do analysts rate VRSN or EQIX?

VeriSign currently has a consensus price target of $277.50, suggesting a potential upside of 1.51%. Equinix has a consensus price target of $962.52, suggesting a potential upside of 22.43%. Given Equinix's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Equinix is more favorable than VeriSign.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
VeriSign	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.33
Equinix	0 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	19 Buy rating(s)	5 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00

Summary

Equinix beats VeriSign on 13 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.