ZD

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) Business Model Analysis (2026)

Invetso Score: 7.4/10 — Strong · Last Updated: 2026-08-01

Overall Score

Revenue Model

Subscription-based software model with recurring revenue characteristics.

Low price-to-sales and strong gross margin indicate an efficient monetization model.

High receivables days suggest some collection friction, but overall revenue quality remains solid.

Profitability

Gross margin remains strong at 77.1%, supporting attractive unit economics.

Operating margin is still thin at 6.1%, limiting current earnings power.

Net margin is elevated by non-operating/tax effects, so core operating profitability is less impressive than headline earnings suggest.

Capital Efficiency

Return on equity is strong at 34.3%, indicating good shareholder returns.

Free cash flow generation is healthy, with FCF yield at 15.7% and FCF conversion above operating cash flow.

Negative net debt to EBITDA and a current ratio above 2.0 support a resilient balance sheet.

Balance Sheet

The company has a net cash position, with net debt to EBITDA at -3.38x.

Liquidity is strong, with a current ratio of 2.16 and cash ratio of 1.67.

Debt levels remain manageable relative to capital and market value.

Valuation

Valuation remains attractive with EV/Sales below 1.0 and P/E around 3.1x.

Price-to-free-cash-flow is modest at 6.4x, supporting a favorable cash-flow multiple.

Price-to-book below 1.0 suggests the market is pricing the business conservatively.

Sources

  • Company filings (10-K, 10-Q, investor presentations)
  • Financial and market data providers
  • Public news and industry information

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