Verisign Q1 2014 Report: 128.5 million .com and .net domains, 4% increase from Q1 2013

VeriSign, Inc., the global leader in domain names, today reported financial results for the first quarter of 2014.

First Quarter GAAP Financial Results
VeriSign, Inc. and subsidiaries (“Verisign”) reported revenue of $249 million for the first quarter of 2014, up 5 percent from the same quarter in 2013. Verisign reported net income of $94 million and diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.64 for the first quarter of 2014, compared to net income of $85 million and diluted EPS of $0.52 in the same quarter in 2013. The operating margin was 56.1 percent for the first quarter of 2014 compared to 56.4 percent for the same quarter in 2013.

First Quarter Non-GAAP Financial Results
Verisign reported, on a non-GAAP basis, net income of $95 million and diluted EPS of $0.64 for the first quarter of 2014, compared to net income of $94 million and diluted EPS of $0.58 for the same quarter in 2013. The non-GAAP operating margin was 60.1 percent for the first quarter of 2014 compared to 59.6 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.

“Results of the first quarter demonstrate the fundamental soundness of our strategy and discipline in execution,” commented Jim Bidzos, executive chairman, president and chief executive officer.

Financial Highlights

• Verisign ended the first quarter with cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $1.7 billion, flat as compared with year-end 2013.
• Cash flow from operations was $142 million for the first quarter compared with $151 million for the same quarter in 2013.
• Deferred revenues on March 31, 2014, totaled $886 million, an increase of $30 million from year-end 2013.
• Capital expenditures were $11 million in the first quarter of 2014.
• During the first quarter, Verisign repurchased 2.4 million shares of its common stock for $132 million. At March 31, 2014, $868 million remained available and authorized under the current share repurchase program.
• Verisign expects to complete in the second quarter of 2014 the intended repatriation of approximately $700 million to $800 million of cash held by foreign subsidiaries as described in the fourth quarter 2013 earnings release.
• For purposes of calculating diluted EPS, the first quarter diluted share count included 14.3 million shares related to subordinated convertible debentures, compared with 7.9 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 1.28 million net new names during the first quarter, ending with 128.5 million active domain names in the zone for .com and .net, which represents a 4 percent increase over the zone at the end of the first quarter in 2013.
• In the first quarter, Verisign processed 8.6 million new domain name registrations for .com and .net as compared to 8.8 million for the same period in 2013.
• The final .com and .net renewal rate for the fourth quarter of 2013 was 72.2 percent compared with 72.9 percent for the same quarter in 2012. Renewal rates are not fully measurable until 45 days after the end of the quarter.

Non-GAAP Items
Non-GAAP financial results exclude the following items that are included under GAAP: Discontinued operations, stock-based compensation, amortization of other intangible assets, impairments of goodwill and other intangible assets, restructuring charges, contingent interest payments to holders of the subordinated convertible debentures, unrealized gain/loss on contingent interest derivative on subordinated convertible debentures, and non-cash interest expense. Non-GAAP financial information is also 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.

About Verisign
As the global leader in domain names, 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.