DOCU vs. NOW: DocuSign vs. ServiceNow Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do DocuSign (DOCU) and ServiceNow (NOW) 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

DocuSign (DOCU) and ServiceNow (NOW) both belong to the Software industry, though DOCU is classified under Application Software while NOW falls under Systems Software.

Company profile comparison for DocuSign (DOCU) and ServiceNow (NOW)
Profile Item	DOCU	NOW
Name	DocuSign Inc.	ServiceNow Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Software & Services	Software & Services
GICS Industry	Software	Software
GICS Sub-Industry	Application Software	Systems Software
Market Capitalization	14.51 billion USD	105.84 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	April 27, 2018	June 29, 2012
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DOCU

NOW

GSPC

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. ServiceNow (NOW), 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

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for DocuSign (DOCU) and ServiceNow (NOW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for DocuSign (DOCU) and ServiceNow (NOW). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and ServiceNow (NOW)
Metric	DOCU	NOW
Total Return (1Y)	12.03%	-39.72%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	24.94%	-5.71%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-22.27%	-5.55%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DOCU

NOW

GSPC

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. ServiceNow (NOW), 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

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for DocuSign (DOCU) and ServiceNow (NOW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and ServiceNow (NOW)
Metric	DOCU	NOW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	48.32%	64.49%
Beta (5Y)	0.79	0.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-86.00%	-64.54%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.99M	15.74M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DOCU and NOW 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 DocuSign (DOCU) and ServiceNow (NOW)
Metric	DOCU	NOW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.16	-0.68
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.23	-0.89

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both DocuSign (DOCU) at 17.80% and ServiceNow (NOW) at 11.85% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

17.80%

Max: 53.85%
Q3: 17.90%
DOCU: 17.80%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

NOW

Software & Services industry group

11.85%

Max: 53.85%
Q3: 17.90%
NOW: 11.85%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. ServiceNow (NOW): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both DocuSign (DOCU) at 9.82% and ServiceNow (NOW) at 9.36% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

9.82%

Max: 41.17%
Q3: 15.28%
DOCU: 9.82%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

NOW

Software & Services industry group

9.36%

Max: 41.17%
Q3: 15.28%
NOW: 9.36%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. ServiceNow (NOW): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both DocuSign (DOCU) at 13.43% and ServiceNow (NOW) at 17.39% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

13.43%

Max: 46.89%
Q3: 17.64%
DOCU: 13.43%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

NOW

Software & Services industry group

17.39%

Max: 46.89%
Q3: 17.64%
NOW: 17.39%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. ServiceNow (NOW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and ServiceNow (NOW)
Metric	DOCU	NOW
ROE (TTM)	17.80%	11.85%
ROA (TTM)	6.35%	4.59%
Net Margin (TTM)	9.82%	9.36%
Operating Margin (TTM)	13.43%	17.39%
Gross Margin (TTM)	79.61%	73.08%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both DocuSign (DOCU) at 8.16% and ServiceNow (NOW) at 20.88% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. ServiceNow (NOW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

ServiceNow (NOW) at 22.08% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while DocuSign (DOCU) at -70.87% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. ServiceNow (NOW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and ServiceNow (NOW)
Metric	DOCU	NOW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.16%	20.88%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.57%	22.38%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-70.87%	22.08%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	73.46%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both DocuSign (DOCU) at 0.64 and ServiceNow (NOW) at 0.72 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

0.64

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
DOCU: 0.64
Min: 0.03

NOW

Software & Services industry group

0.72

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
NOW: 0.72
Min: 0.03

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. ServiceNow (NOW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both DocuSign (DOCU) at 0.11 and ServiceNow (NOW) at 0.64 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

0.11

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.40
DOCU: 0.11
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

NOW

Software & Services industry group

0.64

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
NOW: 0.64
Median: 0.40
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. ServiceNow (NOW): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and ServiceNow (NOW)
Metric	DOCU	NOW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.64	0.72
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.11	0.64
Net Debt / EBITDA	-1.35	1.18

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither DocuSign (DOCU) nor ServiceNow (NOW) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

DOCU: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

NOW

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

NOW: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. ServiceNow (NOW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither DocuSign (DOCU) nor ServiceNow (NOW) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

DOCU: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

NOW

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

NOW: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. ServiceNow (NOW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and ServiceNow (NOW)
Metric	DOCU	NOW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

DocuSign (DOCU) at 47.32 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while ServiceNow (NOW) at 73.36 sits in the richer quartile — NOW needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

47.32

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
DOCU: 47.32
Median: 32.91
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

NOW

Software & Services industry group

73.36

Max: 112.94
NOW: 73.36
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. ServiceNow (NOW): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both DocuSign (DOCU) at 4.32 and ServiceNow (NOW) at 6.86 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

4.32

Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
DOCU: 4.32
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

NOW

Software & Services industry group

6.86

Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
NOW: 6.86
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. ServiceNow (NOW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both DocuSign (DOCU) at 8.50 and ServiceNow (NOW) at 8.08 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

DOCU

Software & Services industry group

8.50

Max: 16.63
DOCU: 8.50
Q3: 8.50
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

NOW

Software & Services industry group

8.08

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
NOW: 8.08
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

DocuSign (DOCU) vs. ServiceNow (NOW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for DocuSign (DOCU) and ServiceNow (NOW)
Metric	DOCU	NOW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	47.32	73.36
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.32	6.86
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	8.50	8.08
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	9.05%	5.44%