APP vs. VRSN: AppLovin vs. VeriSign Stock Comparison
How do AppLovin (APP) and VeriSign (VRSN) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.
Company Profile
AppLovin (APP) and VeriSign (VRSN) both fall under the Software & Services industry group, but APP is classified in Software while VRSN is classified in IT Services.
VeriSign (VRSN) has more than two decades of public-market history since January 30, 1998, whereas AppLovin (APP) listed on April 15, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.
| Profile Item | APP | VRSN |
|---|---|---|
| Name | AppLovin Corporation Class A Common Stock | VeriSign, Inc. |
| Country/Region | United States | United States |
| GICS Sector | Information Technology | Information Technology |
| GICS Industry Group | Software & Services | Software & Services |
| GICS Industry | Software | IT Services |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Application Software | Internet Services & Infrastructure |
| Market Capitalization | 129.62 billion USD | 27.69 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | Nasdaq | Nasdaq |
| Listing Date | April 15, 2021 | January 30, 1998 |
| Security Type | Common Stock | Common Stock |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | APP | VRSN |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | -34.71% | 28.37% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | 116.87% | 15.25% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | 31.34% | 5.98% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
AppLovin (APP) has a highly aggressive beta of 2.25, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while VeriSign (VRSN) is defensive at 0.67 and tends to be less market-sensitive — a wide gap in beta profiles.
| Metric | APP | VRSN |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 80.36% | 28.25% |
| Beta (5Y) | 2.25 | 0.67 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -91.90% | -38.85% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 5.33M | 869.64K |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | APP | VRSN |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | -0.49 | 0.85 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | -0.69 | 1.24 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
Capital efficiency shows on one side only: AppLovin (APP) earns 210.09% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; VeriSign (VRSN) has no ROE this period.
APP
Software & Services industry group
210.09%
- APP
- 210.09%
- Max
- 53.85%
- Q3
- 17.90%
- Median
- 6.59%
- Q1
- -9.59%
- Min
- -50.52%
VRSN
Software & Services industry group
--
- Max
- 53.85%
- Q3
- 17.90%
- Median
- 6.59%
- Q1
- -9.59%
- Min
- -50.52%
- VRSN
- --
Net Margin (TTM)
Both AppLovin (APP) at 65.89% and VeriSign (VRSN) at 49.07% keep an unusually large share of revenue as bottom-line profit — each net margin clears its industry’s benchmark range.
APP
Software & Services industry group
65.89%
- APP
- 65.89%
- Max
- 41.17%
- Q3
- 15.28%
- Median
- 4.63%
- Q1
- -5.42%
- Min
- -33.17%
VRSN
Software & Services industry group
49.07%
- VRSN
- 49.07%
- Max
- 41.17%
- Q3
- 15.28%
- Median
- 4.63%
- Q1
- -5.42%
- Min
- -33.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)
Before financing and tax, both AppLovin (APP) at 78.22% and VeriSign (VRSN) at 68.62% run unusually efficient core operations — each operating margin clears its industry’s benchmark range.
APP
Software & Services industry group
78.22%
- APP
- 78.22%
- Max
- 46.89%
- Q3
- 17.64%
- Median
- 8.73%
- Q1
- -2.13%
- Min
- -30.45%
VRSN
Software & Services industry group
68.62%
- VRSN
- 68.62%
- Max
- 46.89%
- Q3
- 17.64%
- Median
- 8.73%
- Q1
- -2.13%
- Min
- -30.45%
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | APP | VRSN |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | 210.09% | -- |
| ROA (TTM) | 49.57% | 54.90% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | 65.89% | 49.07% |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | 78.22% | 68.62% |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | 88.78% | 88.57% |
Growth
Revenue Growth
AppLovin (APP) at 69.99% delivers above-range revenue growth, while VeriSign (VRSN) at 6.37% falls into the bottom quartile — a wide split in revenue momentum.
EPS Growth
AppLovin (APP) at 115.23% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while VeriSign (VRSN) at 10.13% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for APP.
Growth Metrics
| Metric | APP | VRSN |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | 69.99% | 6.37% |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | 24.84% | 5.15% |
| EPS Growth (YoY) | 115.23% | 10.13% |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | -- | 12.18% |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
AppLovin (APP) at 3.81 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while VeriSign (VRSN) at 0.42 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.
APP
Software & Services industry group
3.81
- Max
- 5.11
- APP
- 3.81
- Q3
- 2.77
- Median
- 1.67
- Q1
- 1.01
- Min
- 0.03
VRSN
Software & Services industry group
0.42
- Max
- 5.11
- Q3
- 2.77
- Median
- 1.67
- Q1
- 1.01
- VRSN
- 0.42
- Min
- 0.03
Debt / Equity (MRQ)
Only one side’s leverage can be read here: AppLovin (APP) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07 against its industry range, while VeriSign (VRSN) reports no figure this period.
APP
Software & Services industry group
1.07
- Max
- 2.52
- Q3
- 1.13
- APP
- 1.07
- Median
- 0.40
- Q1
- 0.07
- Min
- 0.00
VRSN
Software & Services industry group
--
- Max
- 2.52
- Q3
- 1.13
- Median
- 0.40
- Q1
- 0.07
- Min
- 0.00
- VRSN
- --
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | APP | VRSN |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | 3.81 | 0.42 |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | 1.07 | -- |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 0.06 | 1.09 |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
AppLovin (APP) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile VeriSign (VRSN) reports a yield of 1.03%, ranking against industry peers normally.
APP
Software & Services industry group
0.00%
- APP
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
VRSN
Software & Services industry group
1.03%
- VRSN
- 1.03%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
AppLovin (APP) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile VeriSign (VRSN) reports a payout of 34.45%, ranking against industry peers normally.
APP
Software & Services industry group
0.00%
- APP
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
VRSN
Software & Services industry group
34.45%
- VRSN
- 34.45%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | APP | VRSN |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 0.00% | 1.03% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 0.00% | 34.45% |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
Both AppLovin (APP) at 26.34 and VeriSign (VRSN) at 33.23 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.
APP
Software & Services industry group
26.34
- Max
- 112.94
- Q3
- 60.32
- Median
- 32.91
- APP
- 26.34
- Q1
- 18.77
- Min
- 6.69
VRSN
Software & Services industry group
33.23
- Max
- 112.94
- Q3
- 60.32
- VRSN
- 33.23
- Median
- 32.91
- Q1
- 18.77
- Min
- 6.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)
Both AppLovin (APP) at 17.04 and VeriSign (VRSN) at 15.99 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.
APP
Software & Services industry group
17.04
- Max
- 17.91
- APP
- 17.04
- Q3
- 8.78
- Median
- 4.25
- Q1
- 2.23
- Min
- 0.02
VRSN
Software & Services industry group
15.99
- Max
- 17.91
- VRSN
- 15.99
- Q3
- 8.78
- Median
- 4.25
- Q1
- 2.23
- Min
- 0.02
P/B Ratio (MRQ)
VeriSign (VRSN) reports a negative P/B ratio of -12.13, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile AppLovin (APP) reports 39.29, ranking against industry peers normally.
APP
Software & Services industry group
39.29
- APP
- 39.29
- Max
- 16.63
- Q3
- 8.50
- Median
- 4.30
- Q1
- 1.92
- Min
- -3.90
VRSN
Software & Services industry group
-12.13
- Max
- 16.63
- Q3
- 8.50
- Median
- 4.30
- Q1
- 1.92
- Min
- -3.90
- VRSN
- -12.13
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | APP | VRSN |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | 26.34 | 33.23 |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 17.04 | 15.99 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | 39.29 | -12.13 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | 2.87% | 2.89% |