Yahoo Finance Our Take On VeriSign, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:VRSN) CEO Salary
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Jim Bidzos has been the CEO of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) since 2011. This report will, first, examine the CEO compensation levels in comparison to CEO compensation at other big companies. After that, we will consider the growth in the business. And finally - as a second measure of performance - we will look at the returns shareholders have received over the last few years. The aim of all this is to consider the appropriateness of CEO pay levels.
See our latest analysis for VeriSign
How Does Jim Bidzos's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?
Our data indicates that VeriSign, Inc. is worth US$25b, and total annual CEO compensation is US$9.2m. (This number is for the twelve months until December 2018). That's just a smallish increase of 2.3% on last year. While we always look at total compensation first, we note that the salary component is less, at US$913k. When we examined a group of companies with market caps over US$8.0b, we found that their median CEO total compensation was US$11m. There aren't very many mega-cap companies, so we had to take a wide range to get a meaningful comparison figure.
So Jim Bidzos is paid around the average of the companies we looked at. Although this fact alone doesn't tell us a great deal, it becomes more relevant when considered against the business performance.
The graphic below shows how CEO compensation at VeriSign has changed from year to year.
Is VeriSign, Inc. Growing?
VeriSign, Inc. has increased its earnings per share (EPS) by an average of 11% a year, over the last three years (using a line of best fit). In the last year, its revenue is up 3.9%.
This shows that the company has improved itself over the last few years. Good news for shareholders. It's good to see a bit of revenue growth, as this suggests the business is able to grow sustainably. You might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for future earnings.
Has VeriSign, Inc. Been A Good Investment?
Most shareholders would probably be pleased with VeriSign, Inc. for providing a total return of 144% over three years. This strong performance might mean some shareholders don't mind if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for a company of its size.
In Summary...
Jim Bidzos is paid around the same as most CEOs of large companies.
Few would be critical of the leadership, since returns have been juicy and earnings per share are moving in the right direction. Although the pay is a normal amount, some shareholders probably consider it fair or modest, given the good performance of the stock. Shareholders may want to check for free if VeriSign insiders are buying or selling shares.
Arguably, business quality is much more important than CEO compensation levels. So check out this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.
