VeriSign (VRSN) Competitors

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) and Aspen Technology (NASDAQ:AZPN) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, community ranking, dividends and earnings.

Do insiders & institutionals believe in VRSN or AZPN?

92.9% of VeriSign shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 45.7% of Aspen Technology shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.8% of VeriSign shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Aspen Technology shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has more risk & volatility, VRSN or AZPN?

VeriSign has a beta of 0.89, meaning that its stock price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Aspen Technology has a beta of 0.76, meaning that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts prefer VRSN or AZPN?

VeriSign presently has a consensus target price of $218.00, indicating a potential upside of 27.67%. Aspen Technology has a consensus target price of $219.50, indicating a potential downside of 1.10%. Given VeriSign's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe VeriSign is more favorable than Aspen Technology.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
VeriSign	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Aspen Technology	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Does the media refer more to VRSN or AZPN?

In the previous week, Aspen Technology had 4 more articles in the media than VeriSign. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Aspen Technology and 9 mentions for VeriSign. VeriSign's average media sentiment score of 0.57 beat Aspen Technology's score of 0.57 indicating that VeriSign is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
VeriSign	5 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Aspen Technology	3 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	7 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is VRSN or AZPN more profitable?

VeriSign has a net margin of 55.04% compared to Aspen Technology's net margin of -2.46%. Aspen Technology's return on equity of 2.76% beat VeriSign's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
VeriSign	55.04%	-47.21%	44.58%
Aspen Technology	-2.46%	2.76%	2.50%

Which has stronger valuation & earnings, VRSN or AZPN?

VeriSign has higher revenue and earnings than Aspen Technology. Aspen Technology is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than VeriSign, 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	$1.51B	11.24	$817.60M	$8.14	20.98
Aspen Technology	$1.04B	13.46	-$107.76M	-$0.44	-504.40

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer VRSN or AZPN?

Aspen Technology received 61 more outperform votes than VeriSign when rated by MarketBeat users. However, 62.26% of users gave VeriSign an outperform vote while only 61.91% of users gave Aspen Technology an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
VeriSign	Outperform Votes 386 62.26%	Underperform Votes 234 37.74%
Aspen Technology	Outperform Votes 447 61.91%	Underperform Votes 275 38.09%

Summary

VeriSign beats Aspen Technology on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.