VeriSign (VRSN) Competitors

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

Which has higher valuation and earnings, AZPN or VRSN?

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
Aspen Technology	$1.04B	13.46	-$107.76M	-$0.44	-504.40
VeriSign	$1.49B	11.39	$817.60M	$8.14	20.98

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer AZPN or VRSN?

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

Which has more risk & volatility, AZPN or VRSN?

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

Is AZPN or VRSN more profitable?

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

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

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

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

Does the media favor AZPN or VRSN?

In the previous week, Aspen Technology had 1 more articles in the media than VeriSign. MarketBeat recorded 11 mentions for Aspen Technology and 10 mentions for VeriSign. Aspen Technology's average media sentiment score of 0.67 beat VeriSign's score of 0.59 indicating that VeriSign is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Aspen Technology	2 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
VeriSign	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do analysts rate AZPN or VRSN?

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

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

Summary

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