Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) Stock Analysis and Metrics

Ziff Davis

NASDAQ: ZD

$51.60 ▼ -0.21 (-0.41%)

At close: Jul 24, 2026 · 3:59 PM UTC

Financial Ratios

Market Cap1.96 Bn

P/E32.24

P/S1.41

Div. Yield0.00

ROIC (Qtr)0.00

Total Debt (Qtr)1.02 Bn

Revenue Growth (1y) (Qtr)-1.90

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About

Ziff Davis, Inc is a vertically focused digital media and internet company that operates a portfolio of leading brands in technology shopping gaming and entertainment health and wellness connectivity cybersecurity and martech. The company creates and distributes trusted editorial content and tools for users seeking information and advice in these markets. It also provides broadband network intelligence cybersecurity solutions and digital marketing tools to consumers and businesses.

Ziff Davis generates revenue primarily through advertising and performance marketing subscription and licensing and other sources. Advertising and performance marketing revenue comes from selling online display and video advertising on its owned and operated websites and applications and on third party sites as well as generating leads and click through commissions for advertisers. Subscription and licensing revenue is derived from cloud based subscription services fixed and variable usage fees perpetual software licenses and licensing of proprietary technology data and intellectual property. Other revenue includes hardware sales online course revenues game publishing revenues and revenues from a customer acquisition platform for subscription services companies.

The company operates through the following segments Technology & Shopping Gaming & Entertainment Health & Wellness Connectivity and Cybersecurity & Martech.

• Technology & Shopping includes technology publishing brands such as CNET PCMag Mashable Lifehacker Spiceworks and ZDNET that provide laboratory based product reviews technology news buying guides and research papers as well as shopping properties like RetailMeNot VoucherCodes Offerscom and BlackFridaycom that offer authoritative content discount opportunities gift card processing and promotional media solutions to influence consumer purchase decisions.

• Gaming & Entertainment encompasses IGN Entertainment which operates fifteen digital properties delivering game tips reviews insights and a digital storefront for video games ebooks and software and Humble Bundle which offers a digital subscription and storefront for video games ebooks and software while raising funds for charity.

• Health & Wellness is operated by Everyday Health Group and serves three audiences Health & Wellness Consumer Health & Wellness Professional and Health & Wellness Pregnancy & Parenting through brands such as Everyday Health DailyOM Lose It Migraine Again theSkimm MedPage Today PRIME Education Health eCareers BabyCenter Emma s Diary What to Expect Mom Media and related tools apps newsletters courses and professional development services.

• Connectivity operates under the Ookla brand and provides broadband mobile and Wi Fi testing applications analysis and insights through Speedtest Ekahau Downdetector and RootMetrics to internet service providers mobile service providers enterprise Wi Fi integrators and regulatory bodies worldwide.

• Cybersecurity & Martech comprises the VIPRE Security Group offering endpoint and email security security awareness training secure backup and file sharing virtual private network solutions and the MOZ Group providing email marketing delivery search engine optimization tools and voice and text communication services to consumers and businesses.

Ziff Davis holds a strong position in the digital media and internet markets leveraging the reputation of its brands as trusted sources of premium and exclusive content objective information and expert reviews. The company faces competition from diversified internet and digital media firms such as IAC Future PLC Red Ventures Penske Media Integrated Media and Internet Brands vertical specific players like RVO Health TechTarget Vox Media Centerfield Doximity and Fandom and large advertising sellers including Alphabet Meta Snap and Twitch. In the connectivity space it competes with Opensignal Accenture NetAlly and IBWave while its cybersecurity and martech businesses contend with email marketing solution providers marketing automation services cybersecurity software and service vendors virtual private network providers and firms such as SEMRush MailChimp Campaign Monitor Constant Contact and Dialpad. Competitive advantages include the ability to attract consumers professionals and advertisers to its digital properties the reach and effectiveness of its customer messaging branding and marketing services expertise in multiple monetization methods financial strength reliability security of service intellectual property ownership effective customer support ease of use service scalability geographic coverage scope of services currency and payment method acceptance and local language sales messaging and support.

Ziff Davis serves a diverse customer base that includes advertisers and advertising agencies seeking to reach technology shopping gaming and wellness audiences third party websites and applications that display its ads consumer health and wellness vendors consumer packaged goods companies information technology service providers online merchants that pay click through commissions businesses that subscribe to its cloud based security and marketing tools consumers who use its weight loss app digital subscription storefront and other services internet service providers mobile service providers enterprise Wi Fi systems integrators regulatory bodies and sole proprietors small to medium sized enterprises and larger enterprises that rely on its cybersecurity martech and connectivity solutions.

Investment Thesis

▲ Bull case

Ziff Davis is actively leveraging its deep brand portfolio and operational agility to unlock value through strategic divestitures and acquisitions, with the pending sale of the Connectivity business expected to generate substantial proceeds that will be redeployed into high-return opportunities, as evidenced by the recent acquisition of Popular Science, Dwell, Domino, and Business of Home at accretive EBITDA multiples, demonstrating the company's ability to buy undervalued assets and integrate them into higher-growth segments like Tech & Shopping, where legacy brands are being revitalized through cross-platform synergies and data-driven content strategies, creating a compounding effect on long-term earnings power that the market is overlooking due to its fixation on short-term revenue declines in legacy segments.
The company's aggressive shift toward AI-native product development is not merely a cost-saving tactic but a structural transformation that is accelerating innovation cycles from weeks to days, enabling faster time-to-market for new features and reducing reliance on linear headcount growth, as demonstrated by the integration of AI into product lifecycles across Lose It!, VIPRE, and HALO, which are already driving improved user engagement and monetization, with management explicitly noting that AI has shifted from a 'copilot' to the 'pilot' in development, a shift that will meaningfully expand operating margins over time as the technology scales across the portfolio, particularly in high-margin B2B offerings like cybersecurity and martech where automation reduces friction in sales and delivery.
Off-platform monetization is emerging as a durable and scalable alternative to declining organic search traffic, with social video views across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok growing more than 75% year-over-year for the shopping group, and the company successfully capturing value from its massive social followings through ad programs, sponsored content, and partnerships with trusted institutions like the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic, which are not only replacing lost web traffic but generating higher engagement and better monetization due to the premium nature of native content on these platforms, a trend that is underappreciated by investors who continue to view social as a supplemental channel rather than a core distribution and revenue engine.
Ziff Davis maintains a fortress-like balance sheet with $520 million in cash and $100 million in long-term investments as of Q1 2026, excluding the $26 million tied to the pending Connectivity sale, providing substantial dry powder for continued share repurchases — already exceeding 15 million shares since 2020 — and selective acquisitions, while the company's focus on free cash flow generation, evidenced by nearly $290 million in trailing twelve-month free cash flow, ensures that capital allocation remains disciplined and accretive, with the buyback program actively reducing share count and boosting EPS even amid modest revenue fluctuations, a dynamic that is not fully reflected in the current valuation multiple.
The market is undervaluing the resilience and diversification of Ziff Davis's portfolio, where strength in Gaming & Entertainment (up over 7% driven by Humble Bundle and Map Genie), Health & Wellness (bolstered by GLP-1 ad growth, Lose It! success, and PRIME CME expansion), and Cybersecurity & Martech (up nearly 4% with Threat Protection Pro and VIPRE-Docebo integration) is offsetting softness in Tech & Shopping, and the company's ability to grow revenue in three of four segments while improving off-platform monetization and AI-driven efficiency signals a transition from cyclical downturn to structural repositioning that will become evident as the Connectivity proceeds are reinvested and the benefits of AI and social acceleration compound over the next 12–18 months.

Ziff Davis is actively leveraging its deep brand portfolio and operational agility to unlock value through strategic divestitures and acquisitions, with the pending sale of the Connectivity business expected to generate substantial proceeds that will be redeployed into high-return opportunities, as evidenced by the recent acquisition of Popular Science, Dwell, Domino, and Business of Home at accretive EBITDA multiples, demonstrating the company's ability to buy undervalued assets and integrate them into higher-growth segments like Tech & Shopping, where legacy brands are being revitalized through cross-platform synergies and data-driven content strategies, creating a compounding effect on long-term earnings power that the market is overlooking due to its fixation on short-term revenue declines in legacy segments.
The company's aggressive shift toward AI-native product development is not merely a cost-saving tactic but a structural transformation that is accelerating innovation cycles from weeks to days, enabling faster time-to-market for new features and reducing reliance on linear headcount growth, as demonstrated by the integration of AI into product lifecycles across Lose It!, VIPRE, and HALO, which are already driving improved user engagement and monetization, with management explicitly noting that AI has shifted from a 'copilot' to the 'pilot' in development, a shift that will meaningfully expand operating margins over time as the technology scales across the portfolio, particularly in high-margin B2B offerings like cybersecurity and martech where automation reduces friction in sales and delivery.
Off-platform monetization is emerging as a durable and scalable alternative to declining organic search traffic, with social video views across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok growing more than 75% year-over-year for the shopping group, and the company successfully capturing value from its massive social followings through ad programs, sponsored content, and partnerships with trusted institutions like the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic, which are not only replacing lost web traffic but generating higher engagement and better monetization due to the premium nature of native content on these platforms, a trend that is underappreciated by investors who continue to view social as a supplemental channel rather than a core distribution and revenue engine.
Ziff Davis maintains a fortress-like balance sheet with $520 million in cash and $100 million in long-term investments as of Q1 2026, excluding the $26 million tied to the pending Connectivity sale, providing substantial dry powder for continued share repurchases — already exceeding 15 million shares since 2020 — and selective acquisitions, while the company's focus on free cash flow generation, evidenced by nearly $290 million in trailing twelve-month free cash flow, ensures that capital allocation remains disciplined and accretive, with the buyback program actively reducing share count and boosting EPS even amid modest revenue fluctuations, a dynamic that is not fully reflected in the current valuation multiple.
The market is undervaluing the resilience and diversification of Ziff Davis's portfolio, where strength in Gaming & Entertainment (up over 7% driven by Humble Bundle and Map Genie), Health & Wellness (bolstered by GLP-1 ad growth, Lose It! success, and PRIME CME expansion), and Cybersecurity & Martech (up nearly 4% with Threat Protection Pro and VIPRE-Docebo integration) is offsetting softness in Tech & Shopping, and the company's ability to grow revenue in three of four segments while improving off-platform monetization and AI-driven efficiency signals a transition from cyclical downturn to structural repositioning that will become evident as the Connectivity proceeds are reinvested and the benefits of AI and social acceleration compound over the next 12–18 months.

▼ Bear case

Ziff Davis's core Tech & Shopping segment continues to face structural headwinds from declining organic search traffic and evolving consumer behavior, with affiliate commerce and programmatic display revenue under persistent pressure due to the difficulty of replacing high-intent, purchase-oriented web traffic — a challenge acknowledged by management when they noted that 'affiliate commerce-oriented traffic when somebody is seeking a buying guide or a product review is harder for us to replace' — and while off-platform efforts are growing, they come with platform-specific revenue shares or 'taxes' that dilute margins, meaning the company may be trading higher-margin, owned-and-operated traffic for lower-margin, third-party-dependent audiences, a shift that could permanently erode the profitability of its legacy digital media assets despite surface-level engagement gains.
The company's aggressive share buyback program, while boosting EPS in the short term, is consuming significant capital that could otherwise be used to address fundamental business challenges, with $51.6 million deployed in Q1 alone and over 15 million shares repurchased since 2020, raising concerns that management is prioritizing financial engineering over operational reinvestment, particularly as the Connectivity sale proceeds — expected to be substantial — have not yet been clearly allocated to growth initiatives, and the lack of formal annual guidance for 2026 suggests uncertainty about the sustainability of current performance, with the market potentially misinterpreting buyback-driven EPS strength as fundamental improvement when it may simply reflect a shrinking share base masking underlying revenue stagnation.
Despite management's enthusiasm for AI integration, there is limited evidence that AI-driven product development is translating into meaningful top-line acceleration beyond incremental improvements in existing products like Lose It! and VIPRE, with no clear disclosure of new AI-powered products gaining significant market traction or materially expanding addressable markets, and the shift from 'copilot' to 'pilot' in development remains largely anecdotal, suggesting that the touted efficiency gains may be offset by integration costs, talent competition, and the risk that AI-generated content or features fail to resonate with users, leaving the company vulnerable to overestimating the near-term impact of its AI investments on profitability and growth.
The Health & Wellness segment shows signs of fragility, with HCP advertising on MedPage Today declining due to booking delays from key pharma clients and increasing competition from new entrants in the fragmented professional healthcare marketing space, a trend that management itself described as a 'tale of two cities' where consumer-side strength is being offset by professional-side weakness, and while the PRIME CME business is performing well, it represents a smaller, niche portion of the segment, meaning the broader Health & Wellness franchise remains exposed to volatility in pharmaceutical advertising budgets and the inability to fully monetize its trusted provider relationships at scale, a risk that is not being adequately priced into the stock given the segment's historical role as a margin stabilizer.
Ziff Davis's strategy of pursuing asset monetization through selective divestitures assumes that private market buyers will consistently recognize the intrinsic value of its businesses, yet the company itself admits that the public market assigns a 'very low multiple' to its adjusted EBITDA, implying a persistent disconnect between internal valuation and external perception, and without a clear catalyst to close this gap — such as a successful spin-off, strategic partnership, or demonstrable multiple expansion in peer companies — the company may find itself unable to execute its monetization strategy at favorable terms, leaving it with a portfolio of solid but undervalued assets that continue to trade at a discount, especially as the loss of the high-margin Connectivity business will reduce overall profitability and increase pressure on the remaining segments to deliver disproportionate growth just to maintain current earnings levels.

Ziff Davis's core Tech & Shopping segment continues to face structural headwinds from declining organic search traffic and evolving consumer behavior, with affiliate commerce and programmatic display revenue under persistent pressure due to the difficulty of replacing high-intent, purchase-oriented web traffic — a challenge acknowledged by management when they noted that 'affiliate commerce-oriented traffic when somebody is seeking a buying guide or a product review is harder for us to replace' — and while off-platform efforts are growing, they come with platform-specific revenue shares or 'taxes' that dilute margins, meaning the company may be trading higher-margin, owned-and-operated traffic for lower-margin, third-party-dependent audiences, a shift that could permanently erode the profitability of its legacy digital media assets despite surface-level engagement gains.
The company's aggressive share buyback program, while boosting EPS in the short term, is consuming significant capital that could otherwise be used to address fundamental business challenges, with $51.6 million deployed in Q1 alone and over 15 million shares repurchased since 2020, raising concerns that management is prioritizing financial engineering over operational reinvestment, particularly as the Connectivity sale proceeds — expected to be substantial — have not yet been clearly allocated to growth initiatives, and the lack of formal annual guidance for 2026 suggests uncertainty about the sustainability of current performance, with the market potentially misinterpreting buyback-driven EPS strength as fundamental improvement when it may simply reflect a shrinking share base masking underlying revenue stagnation.
Despite management's enthusiasm for AI integration, there is limited evidence that AI-driven product development is translating into meaningful top-line acceleration beyond incremental improvements in existing products like Lose It! and VIPRE, with no clear disclosure of new AI-powered products gaining significant market traction or materially expanding addressable markets, and the shift from 'copilot' to 'pilot' in development remains largely anecdotal, suggesting that the touted efficiency gains may be offset by integration costs, talent competition, and the risk that AI-generated content or features fail to resonate with users, leaving the company vulnerable to overestimating the near-term impact of its AI investments on profitability and growth.
The Health & Wellness segment shows signs of fragility, with HCP advertising on MedPage Today declining due to booking delays from key pharma clients and increasing competition from new entrants in the fragmented professional healthcare marketing space, a trend that management itself described as a 'tale of two cities' where consumer-side strength is being offset by professional-side weakness, and while the PRIME CME business is performing well, it represents a smaller, niche portion of the segment, meaning the broader Health & Wellness franchise remains exposed to volatility in pharmaceutical advertising budgets and the inability to fully monetize its trusted provider relationships at scale, a risk that is not being adequately priced into the stock given the segment's historical role as a margin stabilizer.
Ziff Davis's strategy of pursuing asset monetization through selective divestitures assumes that private market buyers will consistently recognize the intrinsic value of its businesses, yet the company itself admits that the public market assigns a 'very low multiple' to its adjusted EBITDA, implying a persistent disconnect between internal valuation and external perception, and without a clear catalyst to close this gap — such as a successful spin-off, strategic partnership, or demonstrable multiple expansion in peer companies — the company may find itself unable to execute its monetization strategy at favorable terms, leaving it with a portfolio of solid but undervalued assets that continue to trade at a discount, especially as the loss of the high-margin Connectivity business will reduce overall profitability and increase pressure on the remaining segments to deliver disproportionate growth just to maintain current earnings levels.

Segments Breakdown of Revenue (2025)

Peer Comparison

Companies in the Advertising Agencies

S.No.	Ticker	Company	Market Cap	P/E	P/S	Total Debt (Qtr)
1	APP	AppLovin Corp	131.97 Bn	1,242.63	21.41	3.51 Bn
2	OMC	Omnicom Group Inc.	23.77 Bn	155.28	1.20	10.04 Bn
3	WPP	WPP plc	20.22 Bn	9.32	1.44	6.57 Bn
4	TTD	Trade Desk, Inc.	8.20 Bn	18.95	2.76	-
5	KRKR	36Kr Holdings Inc.	2.96 Bn	-828.67	45.77	0.00 Bn
6	MGNI	Magnite, Inc.	2.65 Bn	16.72	3.67	0.35 Bn
7	ZD	Ziff Davis, Inc.	1.96 Bn	32.24	1.41	1.02 Bn
8	STGW	Stagwell Inc	1.87 Bn	-47.75	0.63	1.46 Bn

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Investment Thesis

Geographical Breakdown of Revenue (2025)

Segments Breakdown of Revenue (2025)

Peer Comparison

Research Tools

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Investment Thesis

Geographical Breakdown of Revenue (2025)

Segments Breakdown of Revenue (2025)

Peer Comparison

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