Ziff Davis Inc's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Ziff Davis Inc (ZD) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Ziff Davis Inc vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 1,325M vs 4,221M combined for tracked competitors (23.9% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is decelerating (-13.4% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs accelerating (+21.9%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Ziff Davis Inc generated -18.6% revenue growth year over year in Q2 2026, vs 34.2% for its tracked competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 217.8% net margin compares with 14.8% for the peer group.
- Scale: Ziff Davis Inc ranks #25 of 58 companies by market capitalization in the Communications Services industry, holding 0.2% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Ziff Davis Inc accounted for 18.2% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, down from 26.9% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.34M compares with $0.59M for the peer group (0.6x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
ZD Sales vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
Ziff Davis Inc reported revenue contraction of 18.59 % year on year in Q2 2026, below its competitors' combined revenue growth of 34.21 %.
With a net margin of 217.78 %, Ziff Davis Inc achieved higher profitability than its competitors (14.82 %).
Ziff Davis Inc generated 18.23 % of the combined sales of its peer group, down from 26.88 % a year earlier.
Ziff Davis Inc vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in an SEC filing; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Ziff Davis Inc and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Ziff Davis Inc | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (14) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (5) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (3) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Ziff Davis Inc's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Communications Services industry grew revenue 7.4% year over year, combined, vs -18.6% for Ziff Davis Inc. Ziff Davis Inc's share of combined industry revenue moved from 0.03% to 0.02%, a loss of 0.01 percentage points.
Ziff Davis Inc's Competitor Quality Breadth
Share of each group, trailing 12 months: profitable (net margin > 0), expanding (revenue growth > 0), growing faster than the industry's own median, and financially distressed (Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below).
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ziff Davis Inc | Yes | No | No | No |
| Competitors combined (3) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (22) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (9) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 37.50 % (3 of 8) | 0.00 % (0 of 8) | 0.00 % (0 of 8) | 42.90 % (3 of 7) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
ZD Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
ZD Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
ZD Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
ZD Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mediaalpha Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Techtarget Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Ziff Davis Inc's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Ziff Davis Inc's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of Ziff Davis Inc
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Ziff Davis Inc | 2,025.71 | 1,324.80 |
| Iac Inc | 11,092.08 | 2,511.77 |
| Mediaalpha Inc | 571.06 | 1,224.55 |
| Techtarget Inc | 273.33 | 484.93 |
| SUBTOTAL | 13,962.18 | 5,546.05 |
Sources: Ziff Davis Inc's official press releases and regulatory filings; CSIMarket.com's market research; and the financial filings and press releases of the other companies cited.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Ziff Davis Inc versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Ziff Davis Inc's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from SEC filings and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| IAC | Named by the company | 85% |
| Kape Technologies | Named by the company | 85% |
| Opensignal | Named by the company | 85% |
| RVO Health | Named by the company | 85% |
| Buzzfeed Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Tyler Technologies | Named by the company | 85% |
| CarGurus | Named by the company | 85% |
| Doximity | Named by the company | 85% |
| GoodRx | Named by the company | 85% |
| Integrated Media | Named by the company | 85% |
| Malwarebytes | Named by the company | 85% |
| Proofpoint | Named by the company | 85% |
| TechTarget | Named by the company | 85% |
| Alphabet | Named by the company | 85% |
| Constant Contact | Named by the company | 85% |
| CrowdStrike | Named by the company | 85% |
| Future PLC | Named by the company | 85% |
| IAC/InterActiveCorp | Named by the company | 85% |
| KnowBe4 | Named by the company | 85% |
| Palo Alto Networks | Named by the company | 85% |
| SEMRush | Named by the company | 85% |
| System1 Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Vox | Named by the company | 85% |
| Centerfield | Named by the company | 85% |
| Named by the company | 85% | |
| Named by the company | 85% | |
| Internet Brands | Named by the company | 85% |
| NetAlly | Named by the company | 85% |
| The Arena Group Holdings Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Red Ventures | Named by the company | 85% |
| Twitch | Named by the company | 85% |
| Campaign Monitor | Named by the company | 85% |
| Dialpad | Named by the company | 85% |
| Gen Digital Inc. | Named by the company | 85% |
| IBWave | Named by the company | 85% |
| MailChimp | Named by the company | 85% |
| Penske Media | Named by the company | 85% |
| Snap | Named by the company | 85% |
| Accenture | Named by the company | 85% |
| Vox Media | Named by the company | 85% |
Filing basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Ziff Davis Inc's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: relationships are extracted from SEC filings (named-competitor disclosures) and corroborating sources. Named by the company = explicitly disclosed as a competitor; Inferred = derived from corroborating signals. Confidence reflects evidence strength.
Ziff Davis Inc's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Ziff Davis Inc | Health and Wellness 33.01 % |
| Iac Inc | People Inc. 91.21 % |
| Techtarget Inc | Brand to Demand 70.92 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
Ziff Davis Inc's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ziff Davis Inc | 2,026 | 339,693 | 164,998 |
| Iac Inc | 11,092 | 487,155 | 454 |
| Mediaalpha Inc | 571 | 8,330,259 | 731,000 |
| Techtarget Inc | 273 | 262,122 | -96,634 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 11,936 | 590,136 | -9,643 |
Ziff Davis Inc's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 56 companies in Ziff Davis Inc's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Ziff Davis Inc ranks #25 of 56 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 0.20 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 1,247, indicating a unconcentrated market structure (U.S. antitrust guidance: below 1,500 unconcentrated, 1,500 to 2,500 moderately concentrated, above 2,500 highly concentrated).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verizon Communications Inc | 194,702 | 19.28 % |
| 2 | T mobile Us Inc | 180,167 | 17.84 % |
| 3 | At and t Inc | 173,094 | 17.14 % |
| 4 | Veon ltd | 124,522 | 12.33 % |
| 5 | America Movil Sab De Cv | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Tim S a | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Vodafone Group Public Limited Company | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Chunghwa Telecom Co Ltd | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Ast Spacemobile Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Millicom International Cellular Sa | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 25 | Ziff Davis Inc | 2,026 | 0.20 % |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Ziff Davis Inc's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-09-28.
Ziff Davis Inc's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Telephone And Data Systems Inc | 4,041 | -5.46 % |
| 21 | Pldt Inc | 3,705 | -9.33 % |
| 22 | Array Digital Infrastructure Inc | 3,151 | -41.55 % |
| 23 | Kyivstar Group Ltd | 2,758 | 6.10 % |
| 24 | Calix Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 25 | Ziff Davis Inc | 2,026 | 54.98 % |
| 26 | Chagee Holdings Limited | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 27 | Idt Corp | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 28 | Anterix Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 29 | Gci Liberty Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 30 | Telesat Corporation | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Ziff Davis Inc's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-09-28. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Ziff Davis Inc's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Communications Services industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (85 companies).| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 84.87 % | 45.44 % (avg) | +39.4 pp |
| Operating Margin | 5.49 % | industry median | +0.7 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 21.91 % | 4.17 % (avg) | +17.7 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 9.93 % | 14.44 % (avg) | -4.5 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Ziff Davis Inc's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Communications Services industry average (85 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 2.7x | 25.6x | -22.9x |
| EV / EBITDA | 6.3x | 12.5x | -6.2x |
| P/B | 0.9x | 3.6x | -2.7x |
| Return on Equity | 34.27 % | industry aggregate | 21.24 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 1.57 % | 4.49 % (avg) | -2.92 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Ziff Davis Inc's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in SEC filings.| Metric | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 27.86 % | 8.00 % | 13.65 % | 17.82 % | -17.21 % | -1.94 % | 2.76 % | 3.54 % |
| Operating Margin | 21.98 % | 20.23 % | 20.19 % | 9.96 % | 14.30 % | 9.72 % | 8.11 % | 12.62 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 8.31 % | 7.49 % | 7.70 % | 3.61 % | 4.00 % | 2.71 % | 2.40 % | 4.02 % |
| P/E | 23.2x | 23.9x | 19.2x | 10.8x | 62.3x | 71.3x | 43.3x | 32.3x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Ziff Davis Inc's Strategic Group Map
Every company in Ziff Davis Inc's industry and named-competitor list, plotted by trailing 12-month revenue growth and operating margin. Ziff Davis Inc is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC (the Similar Growth & Profitability group above) are labeled.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Ziff Davis Inc's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
Relative market share (vs Ziff Davis Inc's largest competitor by market cap) against industry revenue growth, using the standard textbook thresholds (1.0x share, 10% growth) a common framework, not a precision instrument.
Ziff Davis Inc falls in the Dog quadrant: relative market share of 0.01x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 0.4% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution.
Ziff Davis Inc's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | High | Industry HHI of 1,247 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Barriers to Entry | Lower than typical for the industry | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 9.93 % vs industry average 14.44 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Ziff Davis Inc's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Ziff Davis Inc's dedicated customers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Threat of Substitutes | - | No systematic data source for cross-product substitution exists in this system; not estimated |
Note: this is a partial, data-grounded application of the framework, not a complete strategic assessment. Rivalry and barriers-to-entry readings are mechanical translations of the HHI and capital-intensity figures shown elsewhere on this page, not independent judgments.
Ziff Davis Inc's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
A CSIMarket composite, not a standard field: each axis is an equal-weighted average of three factors already shown elsewhere on this page (industry growth, industry profitability and rivalry for attractiveness; relative market share, profitability and growth vs industry for strength). Disclosed as a designed methodology, not a precision measurement.
Ziff Davis Inc falls in the Low attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Harvest.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Ziff Davis Inc's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Return on equity 21.2 points above the industry aggregate.
- Outperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
Weaknesses
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is decelerating (-13.4% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.01x).
Opportunities
- A meaningful share of tracked competitors (50.00 %) show financial-distress signals, a possible opening to gain share.
Threats
No rule matched.
Methodology: mechanical, rule-based SWOT. Each bullet reuses a figure already sourced and cited elsewhere on this page; nothing here is generated narrative or independent analyst judgment.
Ziff Davis Inc's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ziff Davis Inc | 0.89 | 1.67 | 0.48 |
| Iac Inc | 1.71 | 2.62 | 0.56 |
| Mediaalpha Inc | 0.23 | 1.23 | - |
| Techtarget Inc | 0.34 | 1.16 | - |
Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Ziff Davis Inc's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ziff Davis Inc | Q2 2026 | -18.6 % | +2,270.5 % |
| Iac Inc | Q2 2026 | +45.4 % | -19.0 % |
| Mediaalpha Inc | Q2 2026 | +25.9 % | - |
| Techtarget Inc | Q2 2026 | -3.0 % | - |
| PEERS TOTAL | +20.0 % | - |
Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Ziff Davis Inc's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ziff Davis Inc | Q2 2026 | +12.4 % | +16.1 % |
| Iac Inc | Q2 2026 | +27.0 % | +639.7 % |
| Mediaalpha Inc | Q2 2026 | +27.0 % | +342.3 % |
| Techtarget Inc | Q2 2026 | +1.0 % | +68.7 % |
Ziff Davis Inc's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ziff Davis Inc | 17.71% | 23.32% | 34.27% |
| Iac Inc | 0.04% | 0.04% | 0.07% |
| Mediaalpha Inc | 31.20% | 46.00% | - |
| Techtarget Inc | - | - | - |
ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Ziff Davis Inc's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Ziff Davis Inc | 3.15 | 1.53 |
| Iac Inc | - | 4.42 |
| Mediaalpha Inc | 5.79 | 0.47 |
| Techtarget Inc | - | 0.56 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 24.30 | 2.52 |
P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.