IT vs. VRSN: Gartner vs. VeriSign Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Gartner (IT) 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

Gartner (IT) and VeriSign (VRSN) both belong to the IT Services industry, though IT is classified under IT Consulting & Other Services while VRSN falls under Internet Services & Infrastructure.

Company profile comparison for Gartner (IT) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Profile Item	IT	VRSN
Name	Gartner Inc.	VeriSign, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Software & Services	Software & Services
GICS Industry	IT Services	IT Services
GICS Sub-Industry	IT Consulting & Other Services	Internet Services & Infrastructure
Market Capitalization	11.99 billion USD	27.69 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	October 5, 1993	January 30, 1998
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

VRSN

GSPC

Gartner (IT) 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

Loading price history…

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

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Gartner (IT) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	IT	VRSN
Total Return (1Y)	-17.60%	28.37%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-22.07%	15.25%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-10.95%	5.98%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

VRSN

GSPC

Gartner (IT) 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

Loading price history…

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Gartner (IT) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	IT	VRSN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	58.29%	28.25%
Beta (5Y)	0.95	0.67
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-77.21%	-38.85%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.14M	869.64K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

IT 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 Gartner (IT) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	IT	VRSN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.38	0.85
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.54	1.24

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Gartner (IT) earns 365.76% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; VeriSign (VRSN) has no ROE this period.

IT

Software & Services industry group

365.76%

IT: 365.76%
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: --

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

Net Margin (TTM)

VeriSign (VRSN) at 49.07% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Gartner (IT) at 14.81% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

IT

Software & Services industry group

14.81%

Max: 41.17%
Q3: 15.28%
IT: 14.81%
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%

Gartner (IT) 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 Gartner (IT) at 18.58% also operates in the top quartile.

IT

Software & Services industry group

18.58%

Max: 46.89%
IT: 18.58%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Gartner (IT) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	IT	VRSN
ROE (TTM)	365.76%	--
ROA (TTM)	11.33%	54.90%
Net Margin (TTM)	14.81%	49.07%
Operating Margin (TTM)	18.58%	68.62%
Gross Margin (TTM)	70.18%	88.57%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Gartner (IT) at 3.67% and VeriSign (VRSN) at 6.37% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

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

EPS Growth

VeriSign (VRSN) at 10.13% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Gartner (IT) at -39.69% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Gartner (IT) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	IT	VRSN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	3.67%	6.37%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.87%	5.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-39.69%	10.13%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.05%	12.18%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Gartner (IT) at 0.91 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.

IT

Software & Services industry group

0.91

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
IT: 0.91
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Neither Gartner (IT) nor VeriSign (VRSN) reports a debt-to-equity ratio value for this period, so a direct comparison isn’t possible.

IT

Software & Services industry group

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.40
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00
IT: --

VRSN

Software & Services industry group

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.40
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00
VRSN: --

Gartner (IT) vs. VeriSign (VRSN): Neither stock reports debt-to-equity ratio, so the chart shows available benchmark boxes without value markers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Gartner (IT) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	IT	VRSN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.91	0.42
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.18	1.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Gartner (IT) 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.

IT

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

IT: 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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Gartner (IT) 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.

IT

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

IT: 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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Gartner (IT) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	IT	VRSN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	1.03%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	34.45%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Gartner (IT) at 13.62 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while VeriSign (VRSN) at 33.23 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for IT, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

IT

Software & Services industry group

13.62

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
Q1: 18.77
IT: 13.62
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Gartner (IT) at 1.86 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while VeriSign (VRSN) at 15.99 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

IT

Software & Services industry group

1.86

Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
IT: 1.86
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Gartner (IT) at -348.81 and VeriSign (VRSN) at -12.13 report negative P/B ratio values, meaning both companies have negative book equity — neither multiple is meaningful for valuation.

IT

Software & Services industry group

-348.81

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90
IT: -348.81

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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Gartner (IT) and VeriSign (VRSN)
Metric	IT	VRSN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	13.62	33.23
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.86	15.99
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	-348.81	-12.13
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	8.90%	2.89%