ZD
Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) Business Model Analysis (2026)
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
🔒 Go Beyond This Framework
This is one of 10 institutional-grade frameworks Invetso runs on Ziff Davis, Inc.. Unlock the complete analysis — SWOT, Economic Moat, Porter’s Five Forces, Management, PESTLE and the Invetso Quality Score.

