QualityDipStocks / Telecommunications · Telecommunications Equipment
Ziff Davis ZD
Outside our quality screen, so we don’t track its dips. It’s 10% below its 52-week high.
Outside our quality screen, trading well below our fair value estimate, 6% under its Market Value.
Worth knowing
- Net cash = 38% of its market cap
- FCF yield 16%, top 4% of the 1322 we measure
From the data on this page, as of the last close. How we pick these
- Fair value est.
- $137.95+160%
- Market Value
- $56.23price −6%
- Off 52-wk high
- −10%
- Risk vs market
- Lowbeta 0.59
52-week range 81% of the way from its 52-week low to its high
Price $53.15Fair value est. $137.95Market Value $56.23
5 bullish · 5 bearish See why
Repriced or dip?
Dip: business intact
The price is 10% below its 52-week high (Sep 15), but the business held up: net cash (cash minus debt) 0.0% of market cap since the high, shares outstanding unchanged, operating margin 0.0 pts.
Some numbers held up (net cash (cash minus debt) 0.0% of market cap since the high, shares outstanding unchanged, operating margin 0.0 pts), others slipped. The price is 10% below its 52-week high.
The price is 10% below its 52-week high, and the business changed too.
Within 10% of its 52-week high, so there is no dip to judge yet.
The evidence 9 numbers, high vs now
- Revenue, last 12 months$1.4B → $1.4B (0.0%)about the same
- Earnings per share, 12 months$17.69 → $17.69 (0.0%)about the same
- Free cash flow, 12 months$317M → $317M (0.0%)held up
- Operating margin7.9% → 7.9% (0.0 pts)held up
- Shares outstanding0.0% (unchanged)held up
- Net cash (cash minus debt)0.0% of market cap since the highheld up
- Stock vs its sector (Telecommunications)stock −10%, sector median −10% since Sep 15held up
- Price fall vs business numbersprice −10%, revenue/EPS/FCF median 0% (shown, not scored)
- Valuation multipleP/FCF 6.8× at the high → 6.1× now (shown, not scored)
No new report since the high (Sep 15, 2026): the business numbers are the same as then, so this read is capped at 65. Each measure is scored from −1 (business changed) to +1 (business intact) and weighted: revenue, earnings per share, free cash flow, operating margin, revenue growth rate, share count, net cash and the move vs its sector. 60 or more reads as a dip, 40 or less as a repricing. Analyst estimates are not in our data, so they are not used. How to read it
Data-based read, not advice.
Priced in
How much growth the market assumed at the 52-week high, the low and today (a reverse DCF).
At the high ($59.21, Sep 15) the price assumed about −12%/yr free-cash-flow growth; at the low ($26.51, Feb 24) about −22%; today about −14%. The last 3 years delivered 8%/yr (free cash flow).
Dashed line: what the last 3 years delivered, 8%/yr (free cash flow)
| High | Low | Now | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $59.21Sep 15 | $26.51Feb 24 | $53.15 |
| Implied growth | −12% | −22% | −14% |
| P/E | 3.3× | 23.0× | 3.0× |
| P/FCF | 6.8× | 3.8× | 6.1× |
| EV/Sales | 1.0× | 0.9× | 0.8× |
What this means: the higher the implied growth, the more the price already counts on. If today's number sits well below what the business has delivered, the market expects less than its track record.
How it’s computed
Reverse DCF: the same 10-year free-cash-flow model as our fair value estimate (9.5% discount rate, growth for years 1–5 fading to 3% by year 10, 3% after), solved for the growth that makes it equal the market value at each price. For the high and the low we use only the filings that were public on that day, so nothing from a later report leaks back. Market value = that close × diluted shares. P/E = market value / 12-month net income; Price / FCF = market value / 12-month free cash flow; EV / Sales = (market value + debt − cash) / 12-month revenue. Hidden when the share count moved over 20% (split, merger), free cash flow is negative, or the company reports in another currency.
Valuation
What we estimate it's worth, and how it ranks on value vs every stock we cover.
Fair value estimate
How the range is computed
Ten-year free-cash-flow DCF. Same 10-year free-cash-flow model as the base: discount rate 9.5% ±1 point and growth 3.0% ±2 points. Bear = 10.5% and 1.0%; bull = 8.5% and 5.0% (both fade to 3%). A model estimate from public filings, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Price is below even the bear case.
Cyclical / peak cash flow — treat with care
What the price implies To be worth today’s price, ZD’s free cash flow would need to shrink about 14% a year for five years; our estimate uses 3%.
Risk vs market
How risk vs market is measured
One year of daily returns (Oct 31 to Nov 2, 252 sessions). Beta = how much ZD moved for each 1% move in the S&P 500 (SPY); 1.0 moves with the market. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns. Past behavior, not a forecast.
Moves much less than the market, but its own price swings are 4.8× the S&P 500’s (it moves on its own news).
- Beta vs S&P 500
- 0.59
- Volatility
- 62% vs 13% SPY
- Correlation SPY
- 0.12
- Correlation QQQ
- 0.08
How it ranks
Where ZD stands vs every one of the 2,467 stocks we cover that has the number. Longer bar = better.
Top quarter on 3 of 6 measures
- Discount to fair value estimate160% · price below our base caseTop 2%of 1,507
- Free cash flow yield16% · free cash flow vs market capTop 4%of 1,690
- Dividends + buybacks yield14% · cash paid out or used to retire shares, vs market capTop 2%of 2,227
- Revenue growth, last 12 months+7.8% · vs the 12 months beforeLowest 43%of 2,184
- Operating margin7.9% · of sales kept as operating profitLowest 41%of 1,549
- Return on invested capital4.9% · profit per dollar of capitalLowest 26%of 1,001
From SEC filings and our fair value estimate model. A ranking, not advice.
Valuation details
DCF $137.95 · MV $56.23 · FCF value $236.22
Cyclical / peak cash flow — treat with care
Assumes 3.0% growth for 5 years (revenue grew 1.4% a year FY22–FY25; floored at 3%), fading to 3%; 9.5% discount rate, 3% terminal growth. FCF base $8.71 a share (trailing 12 months to Jun 30, 2026), from the 10-Q filed Aug 7, 2026. Net cash $738M, not added.
Fundamentals
The business itself: sales, profits, cash and debt, from SEC filings.
Bull vs bear
Rule-based from the data on this page, strongest first. Not advice.
Top bullish points 5 of 5
ValuationFree-cash-flow yield of 16.4% (price / FCF 6.1×): $317M of free cash in the last 12 months.
ValuationOur DCF fair value estimate is $137.95, 160% above the price (cyclical or peak cash flow, so treat with care).
ValuationP/E of 3.0× vs a 15.6× median for the 30 Telecommunications companies we cover.
Balance sheetNet cash of $738M: cash and short-term investments exceed debt (Jun 30, 2026).
Cash returnsShare count down 12.9% in a year: $278M of buybacks over 12 months.
Top bearish points 5 of 5
GrowthDiluted EPS fell 19% to $1.15 in FY2025.
ProfitabilityReturn on invested capital of 5%, below the 9.5% discount rate our DCF uses.
GrowthSales grew 1.4% a year over the last three fiscal years, below the 2.2% median for the 35 Telecommunications companies we cover.
QualityDoesn’t pass our quality screen: ROE under 12% and ROIC under 10%; sales down vs the year-ago quarter.
RiskReports earnings Nov 5 (consensus EPS $1.07): results can move the price sharply and reset Market Value.
All fundamentals
P/E 3.0 · FCF yield 16.4% · ROE 32%
Valuation
- P/E
- 3.0×Telecommunications median 15.6×
- Price / FCF
- 6.1×
- FCF yield
- 16.4%
- EV / EBITDA
- 3.7×
- Price / sales
- 1.34×
- Price / book
- 0.86×
- Market cap
- $1.9Bprice × diluted shares
- Enterprise value
- $1.2B
Growth
- Revenue, 12 months
- $1.4B
- Sales growth, 12 months
- +7.8%vs the 12 months before
- Sales growth, 3 yrs
- +1.4%/yrfrom FY2022
- Diluted EPS, 12 months
- $17.44
- EPS growth, last FY
- −19.0%
- Net income, 12 months
- $643M
- Net income growth
- n/an/m: earnings a year ago near zero
Profitability
- Gross margin
- 85.0%
- Operating margin
- 7.9%
- Net margin
- 44.7%
- FCF margin
- 22.0%
- Return on equity
- 32%
- Return on invested capital
- 5%
Balance sheet
- Cash & short-term inv.
- $1.6B
- Total debt
- $868M
- Net cash
- $738M
- Debt / equity
- 0.39×
- Interest coverage
- n/ainterest expense not tagged in SEC data
Cash flow & returns
- Free cash flow, 12 months
- $317M
- FCF growth, 12 months
- +36%
- Dividend yield
- n/ano dividend payments tagged
- Payout ratio
- n/anot reported in its SEC filings
- Buybacks, 12 months
- $278M14.4% of market cap
- Share count, 1 year
- −12.9%diluted shares vs a year ago
- Stock-based comp
- $47M
Trailing 12 months to Jun 30, 2026; balance sheet at Jun 30, 2026. From Ziff Davis’s SEC filings. Sparklines show up to six fiscal years. n/a means we don’t hold that number, with the reason. How each is computed.
The business
FCF $0.3B · Sales −3%
- Free cash flow, 12 months$0.3B
- Free-cash-flow yield16.4%
- Gross margin85%
- Operating margin4%
- Return on invested capital3%
- Return on equity−2%
- Sales growth (latest quarter vs year-ago quarter)−3%
- Net debt / EBITDA−1.7×
Chart & levels
Where the price is vs its key levels and trends.
Key levels
Every level vs today’s $53.15
- 52-wk lowlowest close, 1 year$26.51−50.1%
- PriceMon Nov 2 close$53.15you are here
- Market Valueavg paid since Aug 7$56.23+5.8%
- 52-wk highhighest close, 1 year$59.21+11.4%
- Fair value est.base case$137.95+159.6%
Momentum & 52-week range
RSI 35 · 5 days −7.9%
Signals
Reversal signal setups, the public ledger and the next earnings date.
Setup & signals
No setup armed
No setup armed, so there’s no trigger or stop to track yet. Reversal signal rules only run on companies that pass our quality screen.
Next report
Nov 5
- DateThu Nov 5, after the close
- Consensus EPS$1.07
- Year-ago EPS$1.52
- QuarterSep/2026
From Nasdaq’s earnings calendar. A report resets Market Value.
ZD is outside our quality screen
One text when a published rule fires on one of the 332 quality companies we track: the ticker, the price, the stop and a link to the numbers. Nothing else.
Voices & buzz
Who is talking about it, and how it compares with peers.
Who’s talking about it
Notable investors, executives, analysts and public figures on Ziff Davis in the last 48 hours. Headlines as published, each linked. Their words, not ours.
No notable mentions in the last 48 hours. Checked Nov 3, 5:14 PM ET.
Compare with peers
Closest in size in Telecommunications Equipment
Information only, not investment advice. Fair value estimates and talking points are rule-based model output from public data and can be wrong; stop levels are reference points, not orders. How every number is computed.