Verisign Q2 2014 Results: Revenue Up To $250 million, 128.9 Million .Com And .Net, .Net Price Goes Up

VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), reported financial results for the second quarter of 2014.

VeriSign, Inc. and subsidiaries (“Verisign”) reported revenue of $250 million for the second quarter of 2014, up 4.6 percent from the same quarter in 2013. Verisign reported net income of $100 million.

• Verisign Registry Services added 0.42 million net new names during the second quarter, ending with 128.9 million active domain names in the zone for .com and .net, which represents a 3.7 percent increase over the zone at the end of the second quarter in 2013.
• In the second quarter, Verisign processed 8.5 million new domain name registrations for .com and .net as compared to 8.7 million for the same period in 2013.
• The final .com and .net renewal rate for the first quarter of 2014 was 72.6 percent compared with 73.2 percent for the same quarter in 2013. Renewal rates are not fully measurable until 45 days after the end of the quarter.
• Verisign announced an increase in the annual fee for a .net domain name registration from $6.18 to $6.79, effective February 1, 2015, per its agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Here is the complete report:VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), a global leader in domain names and Internet security, today reported financial results for the second quarter of 2014.

Second Quarter GAAP Financial Results

VeriSign, Inc. and subsidiaries (“Verisign”) reported revenue of $250 million for the second quarter of 2014, up 4.6 percent from the same quarter in 2013. Verisign reported net income of $100 million and diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.71 for the second quarter of 2014, compared to net income of $87 million and diluted EPS of $0.55 in the same quarter in 2013. The operating margin was 57.2 percent for the second quarter of 2014 compared to 55.2 percent for the same quarter in 2013.

Second Quarter Non-GAAP Financial Results

Verisign reported, on a non-GAAP basis, net income of $96 million and diluted EPS of $0.68 for the second quarter of 2014, compared to net income of $92 million and diluted EPS of $0.58 for the same quarter in 2013. The non-GAAP operating margin was 60.9 percent for the second quarter of 2014 compared to 58.9 percent for the same quarter in 2013. A table reconciling the GAAP to the non-GAAP results (which excludes items described below) is appended to this release.

“Our results are in keeping with our goal of creating long-term shareholder value by providing secure and stable critical Internet infrastructure services and efficiently managing the business. Additionally, in keeping with our commitment to return value to our shareholders, we repurchased $300 million of Verisign shares during the quarter,” commented Jim Bidzos, executive chairman, president and chief executive officer.

Financial Highlights

• Verisign ended the second quarter with cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $1.5 billion, a decrease of $178 million as compared with year-end 2013.
• Cash flow from operations was $121 million for the second quarter compared with $147 million for the same quarter in 2013.
• Deferred revenues on June 30, 2014, totaled $890 million, an increase of $35 million from year-end 2013.
• Capital expenditures were $7 million in the second quarter of 2014.
• During the second quarter, Verisign repurchased 6.0 million shares of its common stock for $300 million.
• On July 23, 2014, the Board of Directors approved an additional authorization for share repurchases of approximately $491 million of common stock, which brings the total amount to $1 billion authorized and available under Verisign’s share buyback program, which has no expiration.
• During the second quarter Verisign repatriated $741 million of cash held by foreign subsidiaries, net of foreign withholding taxes.
• For purposes of calculating diluted EPS, the second quarter diluted share count included 11.3 million shares related to subordinated convertible debentures, compared with 9.4 million shares in the same quarter in 2013. These represent diluted shares and not shares that have been issued.

Business Highlights

• Verisign Registry Services added 0.42 million net new names during the second quarter, ending with 128.9 million active domain names in the zone for .com and .net, which represents a 3.7 percent increase over the zone at the end of the second quarter in 2013.
• In the second quarter, Verisign processed 8.5 million new domain name registrations for .com and .net as compared to 8.7 million for the same period in 2013.
• The final .com and .net renewal rate for the first quarter of 2014 was 72.6 percent compared with 73.2 percent for the same quarter in 2013. Renewal rates are not fully measurable until 45 days after the end of the quarter.
• Verisign announced an increase in the annual fee for a .net domain name registration from $6.18 to $6.79, effective February 1, 2015, per its agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Non-GAAP Items

Non-GAAP financial results exclude the following items that are included under GAAP: stock-based compensation, unrealized gain/loss on contingent interest derivative on subordinated convertible debentures, and non-cash interest expense. Non-GAAP net income is decreased by amounts accrued, if any, during the period for contingent interest payable resulting from upside or downside triggers related to the subordinated convertible debentures and is adjusted for a 28 percent tax rate which differs from the GAAP tax rate. A table reconciling the GAAP to non-GAAP operating income and net income is appended to this release.

Today’s Conference Call

Verisign will host a live conference call today at 4:30 p.m. (EDT) to review the second quarter 2014 results. The call will be accessible by direct dial at (888) 676-VRSN (U.S.) or (913) 312-0830 (international), conference ID: Verisign. A listen-only live web cast of the conference call and accompanying slide presentation will also be available at http://investor.verisign.com. An audio archive of the call will be available at https://investor.verisign.com/events.cfm. This news release and the financial information discussed on today’s conference call are available at http://investor.verisign.com.

About Verisign

As a global leader in domain names and Internet security, Verisign powers the invisible navigation that takes people to where they want to go on the Internet. For more than 15 years, Verisign has operated the infrastructure for a portfolio of top-level domains that today includes .com, .net, .tv, .edu, .gov, .jobs, .name and .cc, as well as two of the world’s 13 Internet root servers. Verisign’s product suite also includes Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Protection Services, iDefense Security Intelligence Services and Managed DNS. To learn more about what it means to be Powered by Verisign, please visit VerisignInc.com.