Forensic Analysis · Communication Services / Telecom · as of Aug 11, 2026

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD)

A forensic read on Ziff Davis, Inc. built from its complete SEC filings — financial-health screens, earnings quality, red flags and a price-aware rating. Reproducible math, not opinion.

D · Weak — demands caution

Forensic grade

Safe

Financial health

3.2

Distress distance

Clean

Earnings quality

Forensic signals

41.4

P / E (ttm)

2.7%

ROE

$2.0B

Market cap

3.5%

Revenue growth

This free snapshot doesn't read filing or proxy text, so the auditor-quality and governance checks that can lower a grade were not evaluated (red flags, auditor quality, say on pay, board independence). Those checks only ever lower a grade, so the full analysis can land below the grade above but never above it — treat it as the most favourable reading, not the settled one.

Ziff Davis, Inc. earns a D (Weak — demands caution) forensic quality grade, and its balance-sheet distress test reads 3.2, placing it in the Safe zone. 3 forensic signals were flagged in its latest SEC filings, led by goodwill impairments.

What the filings flag

$220M

FY2021–FY2025

Goodwill impairments. Took $220M of goodwill writedowns across 5 years (FY2023 ($57M), FY2024 ($85M), FY2025 ($18M)) — about 31% of net income over the span. A large writedown means an acquisition turned out worth far less than was paid — a real mark against M&A discipline.

suspended

FY2019→FY2021

Dividend — suspended. The dividend has been SUSPENDED — $44M paid in FY2019, then $0 in FY2021. A suspension is a major signal the board is conserving cash; the prior payment history doesn't offset it.

5.9%

FY2025

Return on invested capital. Return on invested capital is 5.9% in the latest fiscal year and steady — slightly below its ~8% cost of capital — reinvestment is roughly a wash.

Key fundamentals

Latest Revenue$1.45B

Revenue Growth YoY+3.5%

Revenue CAGR (3yr)+1.4%

Net Margin3.3%

Free Cash Flow$287.9M

Return on Equity2.7%

Debt / Equity0.49x

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Data from SEC EDGAR public filings · metrics as of Aug 11, 2026. Forensic signals flag probability, not certainty.