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Compare Stocks › V vs VRSN

Visa Inc. (V) vs VeriSign, Inc. (VRSN): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-06-19, V is fairly valued at $327, with a DCF intrinsic value of $304 and a margin of safety of -8%. VRSN is overvalued at $265, with an intrinsic value of $212 and a margin of safety of -25%. Of the two, V has the wider margin of safety.

V
Visa Inc.
$327.24
VS
VRSN
VeriSign, Inc.
$264.64

Rewards

V
  • ★Visa Inc. has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • ★Gross margin of 97.8% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★Visa Inc. scores 99/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
VRSN
  • ★Gross margin of 88.3% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★VeriSign, Inc. scores 100/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★Share count has been reduced by 13% over the past 4 years through buybacks, increasing each share's claim on earnings.

Risks

V
  • ⚠Insiders have sold $14.2M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.
VRSN
  • ⚠PEG ratio of 3.31 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
  • ⚠Altman Z-Score of -5.16 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
  • ⚠Insiders have sold $4.0M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.

Key Valuation Metrics

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V
VRSN
Valuation
$20.84B
Free Cash Flow
$1.07B
3.35%
FCF Yield
4.44%
28.55
Trailing P/E
29.27
22.02
Forward P/E
24.76
Quality & Moat
38.39%
ROIC
50.72%
60.35%
ROE
N/A
97.78%
Gross Margin
88.35%
1.46
PEG Ratio
3.31
Balance Sheet Safety
0.28
Net Debt / Equity
N/A
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
0.33
Net Debt / EBITDA
1.06
0.80%
Dividend Yield
1.18%
V: 5Ties: 2VRSN: 3
VVRSN

Historical Fundamentals

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V

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

VRSN

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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V
$5.50
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$44.47B
Δ Market Cap
+$244.54B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
VRSN
$0.31
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Value Destroyer
Σ Retained
$2.21B
Δ Market Cap
+$694.3M
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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V
7.6% Overvalued
Price is 7.6% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $327.24
Fair Value: $304.21
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
VRSN
24.9% Overvalued
Price is 24.9% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $264.64
Fair Value: $211.80
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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V

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $327?

+13.9%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +13.4%

The market implies +13.9% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +13.4%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

VRSN

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $265?

+13.4%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +10.0%

The market implies +13.4% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +10.0%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

Economic Moat Score

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V
99/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. ROIC Consistency is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
VRSN
100/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. ROIC Consistency is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 5 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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V
-2.50
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
VRSN
-3.13
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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V
Insiders 0.1%Institutions 91.7%Retail & Other 8.2%
No. of Institutional Holders5,856
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
VRSN
Insiders 10.6%Institutions 88.9%Retail & Other 0.5%
No. of Institutional Holders1,234
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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V
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
VRSN
1
Buys (3M)
3
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $13,821
ARMSTRONG COURTNEY D.
Director
$4,929
@ $308.06 · 2026-05-27
ARMSTRONG COURTNEY D.
Director
$4,912
@ $223.27 · 2026-02-27
ARMSTRONG COURTNEY D.
Director
$3,980
@ $265.33 · 2025-11-25
GORELICK JAMIE S
Director
$16,051
@ $267.52 · 2025-05-29
ARMSTRONG COURTNEY D.
Director
$3,969
@ $283.50 · 2025-05-28
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$4.10M
@ $204.71 · 2025-01-03
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$15.57M
@ $203.62 · 2024-12-30
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$28.55M
@ $199.05 · 2024-12-24
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY, INC.
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security
$45.40M
@ $193.77 · 2024-12-19
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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V
2
Sells (3M)
17
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $53.88M
SUH CHRIS
Chief Financial Officer
$3.46M
@ $324.81 · 2026-05-12
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$10.70M
@ $340.14 · 2026-04-29
CARNEY LLOYD A
Director
$201,253
@ $309.62 · 2026-03-11
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$3.66M
@ $349.18 · 2026-01-02
ROTTENBERG JULIE B
General Counsel
$699,315
@ $345.00 · 2025-12-11
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$3.57M
@ $340.07 · 2025-12-11
TANEJA RAJAT
Officer
$7.84M
@ $330.14 · 2025-12-02
FABARA PAUL D
Officer
$2.50M
@ $331.45 · 2025-12-02
TANEJA RAJAT
Officer
$2.08M
@ $330.00 · 2025-11-21
FABARA PAUL D
Officer
$707,917
@ $325.93 · 2025-11-21
CARNEY LLOYD A
Director
$302,832
@ $336.48 · 2025-11-04
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$3.58M
@ $341.00 · 2025-11-03
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$3.59M
@ $342.30 · 2025-10-01
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$3.65M
@ $348.57 · 2025-09-02
ROTTENBERG JULIE B
General Counsel
$697,329
@ $344.02 · 2025-08-18
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$3.60M
@ $343.13 · 2025-08-14
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$3.05M
@ $353.82 · 2025-07-01
FABARA PAUL D
Officer
$4.36M
@ $375.00 · 2025-06-11
TANEJA RAJAT
President
$18.44M
@ $368.87 · 2025-06-05
FABARA PAUL D
Officer
$17.10M
@ $370.00 · 2025-06-05
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$3.13M
@ $362.77 · 2025-06-02
FABARA PAUL D
Officer
$6.32M
@ $357.45 · 2025-05-12
FABARA PAUL D
Officer
$5.26M
@ $355.04 · 2025-05-08
ROTTENBERG JULIE B
General Counsel
$889,868
@ $345.58 · 2025-05-01
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$2.98M
@ $345.58 · 2025-05-01
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$3.02M
@ $350.44 · 2025-04-01
FABARA PAUL D
Officer
$13.40M
@ $340.41 · 2025-03-19
FABARA PAUL D
Officer
$12.88M
@ $327.20 · 2025-03-14
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$3.13M
@ $363.00 · 2025-03-03
ANDRESKI PETER M
Officer
$815,314
@ $349.62 · 2025-02-07
MAHON TULLIER KELLY
Officer
$11.80M
@ $349.77 · 2025-02-07
ROTTENBERG JULIE B
General Counsel
$874,480
@ $340.00 · 2025-02-03
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$2.93M
@ $340.00 · 2025-02-03
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$2.74M
@ $317.78 · 2025-01-02
TANEJA RAJAT
Officer
$11.15M
@ $315.55 · 2024-12-13
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$2.73M
@ $316.90 · 2024-12-02
FABARA PAUL D
Officer
$668,603
@ $307.97 · 2024-11-22
ROTTENBERG JULIE B
General Counsel
$741,996
@ $288.49 · 2024-11-01
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$2.49M
@ $288.49 · 2024-11-01
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$2.39M
@ $276.97 · 2024-10-01
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$2.38M
@ $276.37 · 2024-09-03
ROTTENBERG JULIE B
General Counsel
$707,300
@ $275.00 · 2024-08-29
MCINERNEY RYAN
Chief Executive Officer
$2.37M
@ $275.00 · 2024-08-29
MAHON TULLIER KELLY
Officer
$10.12M
@ $267.64 · 2024-08-16
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
VRSN
8
Sells (3M)
43
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $37.92M
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$141,770
@ $283.54 · 2026-06-09
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$938,169
@ $284.29 · 2026-06-09
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$146,725
@ $293.45 · 2026-06-02
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$981,646
@ $297.47 · 2026-06-02
MCPHERSON DANNY R
Officer
$1.36M
@ $271.02 · 2026-04-28
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$134,490
@ $270.06 · 2026-04-14
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$136,452
@ $274.00 · 2026-04-07
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$124,500
@ $250.00 · 2026-03-25
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$79,886
@ $240.62 · 2026-03-10
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$115,426
@ $231.78 · 2026-03-03
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$36,394
@ $219.24 · 2026-02-10
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$124,042
@ $249.08 · 2026-02-03
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.24M
@ $248.45 · 2026-01-15
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$123,859
@ $248.71 · 2026-01-13
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$41,500
@ $250.00 · 2026-01-09
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$79,956
@ $240.83 · 2026-01-06
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.19M
@ $243.06 · 2025-12-18
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.20M
@ $244.00 · 2025-12-11
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$125,285
@ $250.07 · 2025-12-09
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$126,563
@ $252.62 · 2025-12-02
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.24M
@ $248.73 · 2025-11-20
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.25M
@ $249.88 · 2025-11-13
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$165,821
@ $248.24 · 2025-11-12
CALYS JOHN D
Chief Financial Officer
$242,955
@ $242.71 · 2025-11-07
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$81,670
@ $244.52 · 2025-11-04
MCPHERSON DANNY R
Officer
$592,175
@ $236.87 · 2025-10-31
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.36M
@ $262.18 · 2025-10-23
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.38M
@ $264.40 · 2025-10-16
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$131,723
@ $262.92 · 2025-10-14
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$135,706
@ $270.87 · 2025-10-07
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$575,925
@ $287.96 · 2025-09-18
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.01M
@ $287.67 · 2025-09-17
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.56M
@ $284.36 · 2025-09-11
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$141,422
@ $282.28 · 2025-09-09
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$135,500
@ $270.46 · 2025-09-02
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.43M
@ $269.68 · 2025-08-21
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.39M
@ $265.18 · 2025-08-14
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$132,514
@ $264.50 · 2025-08-12
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$135,020
@ $269.50 · 2025-08-05
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.54M
@ $281.70 · 2025-07-17
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.58M
@ $286.22 · 2025-07-10
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$143,837
@ $287.10 · 2025-07-08
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$145,373
@ $290.17 · 2025-07-01
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.55M
@ $282.87 · 2025-06-18
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.50M
@ $278.29 · 2025-06-12
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$140,541
@ $280.52 · 2025-06-10
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$137,995
@ $275.44 · 2025-06-03
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$141,282
@ $282.00 · 2025-05-27
BIDZOS DEMETRIOS JAMES
Chief Executive Officer
$2.53M
@ $280.73 · 2025-05-22
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$141,172
@ $281.78 · 2025-05-20
BUCHALTER YEHUDA ARI
Director
$170,274
@ $283.79 · 2025-05-06
CALYS JOHN D
Officer
$112,788
@ $281.97 · 2025-05-02
CALYS JOHN D
Officer
$103,590
@ $231.74 · 2025-02-24
MCPHERSON DANNY R
Officer
$1.27M
@ $230.73 · 2025-02-18
COTE KATHLEEN A
Director
$690,000
@ $230.00 · 2025-02-18
MCPHERSON DANNY R
Officer
$402,573
@ $192.43 · 2024-12-02
CALYS JOHN D
Officer
$198,800
@ $186.49 · 2024-11-07
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$233,320
@ $190.00 · 2024-10-15
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$466,640
@ $190.00 · 2024-09-27
INDELICARTO THOMAS C
General Counsel
$699,960
@ $190.00 · 2024-07-29
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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V
FearGreed
😐Neutral(57/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
VRSN
FearGreed
😐Neutral(47/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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V
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (57)
VRSN
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (47)
View V Full AnalysisView VRSN Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: V vs VRSN

Is Visa Inc. or VeriSign, Inc. more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, V trades at a -7.6% margin of safety (intrinsic value $304 vs. price $327), compared to VRSN's -24.9% margin of safety (intrinsic $212 vs. $265).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, Visa Inc. or VeriSign, Inc.?▼

VRSN scores 100/100 (Wide moat), while V scores 99/100 (Wide moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Is VeriSign, Inc. in financial distress?▼

VRSN's Altman Z-Score of -5.2 places it in the Distress zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. V scores 8.1 (Safe zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.

Which company has better free cash flow, Visa Inc. or VeriSign, Inc.?▼

VeriSign, Inc. (VRSN) generates a 4.4% free cash flow yield, compared to Visa Inc.'s 3.3%. A higher FCF yield means the business converts more of its market value into cash that can be returned to shareholders or reinvested.

Which stock has higher return on invested capital, Visa Inc. or VeriSign, Inc.?▼

VRSN earns 50.7% ROIC versus V's 38.4%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.

Which dividend is safer, Visa Inc.'s or VeriSign, Inc.'s?▼

V's dividend earns a safety score of 94/100 (Very Safe), compared to VRSN's 85/100 (Very Safe). V has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.