CRM vs. VRSN: Salesforce vs. VeriSign Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Salesforce (CRM) 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

Salesforce (CRM) and VeriSign (VRSN) both fall under the Software & Services industry group, but CRM is classified in Software while VRSN is classified in IT Services.

Company profile comparison for Salesforce (CRM) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Profile Item	CRM	VRSN
Name	Salesforce, Inc.	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	175.83 billion USD	27.69 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	June 23, 2004	January 30, 1998
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CRM

VRSN

GSPC

Salesforce (CRM) vs. VeriSign (VRSN), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Salesforce (CRM) and VeriSign (VRSN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Salesforce (CRM) and VeriSign (VRSN). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Salesforce (CRM) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	CRM	VRSN
Total Return (1Y)	-9.04%	28.37%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	1.64%	15.25%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-6.57%	5.98%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CRM

VRSN

GSPC

Salesforce (CRM) vs. VeriSign (VRSN), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Salesforce (CRM) and VeriSign (VRSN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Salesforce (CRM) is heavily traded at around 11.36M shares per day, whereas VeriSign (VRSN) sees a more moderate 869.64K — larger orders in the latter may require more patience and tighter control over order sizing.

Risk profile metrics for Salesforce (CRM) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	CRM	VRSN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	47.53%	28.25%
Beta (5Y)	1.24	0.67
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-58.67%	-38.85%
Avg. Volume (3M)	11.36M	869.64K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CRM and VRSN are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Salesforce (CRM) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	CRM	VRSN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.28	0.85
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.45	1.24

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Salesforce (CRM) earns 19.38% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; VeriSign (VRSN) has no ROE this period.

CRM

Software & Services industry group

19.38%

Max: 53.85%
CRM: 19.38%
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: --

Salesforce (CRM) vs. VeriSign (VRSN): VRSN does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; CRM is benchmarked against the Software & Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

VeriSign (VRSN) at 49.07% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Salesforce (CRM) at 21.99% also retains a top-quartile share.

CRM

Software & Services industry group

21.99%

Max: 41.17%
CRM: 21.99%
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%

Salesforce (CRM) vs. VeriSign (VRSN): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

VeriSign (VRSN) at 68.62% shows unusually strong operating efficiency — above its industry’s operating margin range — and Salesforce (CRM) at 21.38% also operates in the top quartile.

CRM

Software & Services industry group

21.38%

Max: 46.89%
CRM: 21.38%
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%

Salesforce (CRM) vs. VeriSign (VRSN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Salesforce (CRM) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	CRM	VRSN
ROE (TTM)	19.38%	--
ROA (TTM)	5.70%	54.90%
Net Margin (TTM)	21.99%	49.07%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.38%	68.62%
Gross Margin (TTM)	77.28%	88.57%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Salesforce (CRM) at 9.58% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while VeriSign (VRSN) at 6.37% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Salesforce (CRM) vs. VeriSign (VRSN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Salesforce (CRM) at 22.64% and VeriSign (VRSN) at 10.13% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Salesforce (CRM) vs. VeriSign (VRSN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Salesforce (CRM) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	CRM	VRSN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	9.58%	6.37%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	9.82%	5.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)	22.64%	10.13%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	233.65%	12.18%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Salesforce (CRM) at 0.84 and VeriSign (VRSN) at 0.42 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

CRM

Software & Services industry group

0.84

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
CRM: 0.84
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

Salesforce (CRM) vs. VeriSign (VRSN): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Salesforce (CRM) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10 against its industry range, while VeriSign (VRSN) reports no figure this period.

CRM

Software & Services industry group

1.10

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
CRM: 1.10
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: --

Salesforce (CRM) vs. VeriSign (VRSN): VRSN does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; CRM is benchmarked against the Software & Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Salesforce (CRM) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	CRM	VRSN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.84	0.42
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.10	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.40	1.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Salesforce (CRM) at 0.77% and VeriSign (VRSN) at 1.03% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

CRM

Software & Services industry group

0.77%

CRM: 0.77%
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%

Salesforce (CRM) vs. VeriSign (VRSN): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Salesforce (CRM) at 15.66% and VeriSign (VRSN) at 34.45% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

CRM

Software & Services industry group

15.66%

CRM: 15.66%
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%

Salesforce (CRM) vs. VeriSign (VRSN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Salesforce (CRM) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	CRM	VRSN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.77%	1.03%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	15.66%	34.45%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Salesforce (CRM) at 19.55 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.

CRM

Software & Services industry group

19.55

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
CRM: 19.55
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

Salesforce (CRM) vs. VeriSign (VRSN): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Salesforce (CRM) at 4.00 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while VeriSign (VRSN) at 15.99 sits in the pricier quartile — VRSN costs more per dollar of sales.

CRM

Software & Services industry group

4.00

Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
Median: 4.25
CRM: 4.00
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

Salesforce (CRM) vs. VeriSign (VRSN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

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 Salesforce (CRM) reports 4.58, ranking against industry peers normally.

CRM

Software & Services industry group

4.58

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
CRM: 4.58
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

Salesforce (CRM) vs. VeriSign (VRSN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Salesforce (CRM) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	CRM	VRSN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	19.55	33.23
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.00	15.99
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	4.58	-12.13
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	10.08%	2.89%