CNET, PCMag, Mashable, ZDNET, and Lifehacker team with the CTA to double the size of the prestigious awards program with eleven new categories, cementing CNET Group's role as the definitive voice for tech storytelling and analysis NEW YORK, Jan. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CNET Group, the premier suite of technology publishers – CNET, PCMag, Mashable, ZDNET and Lifehacker – will be the definitive storyteller of CES 2026, providing its vast global audience with in-depth coverage and analysis of the coming year's ...

Catching Gaps in Monitoring with External Observability A global gaming publisher leveraged Downdetector to uncover external incidents that evaded their internal dashboards. In one instance, they identified a critical issue where DDoS protection blocked valid traffic and silenced their internal telemetry. This shows how external observability provides context when internal monitoring goes quiet. SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BigPanda, a leading provider of agentic IT operations solutions, announced today ...

Company Overview - Ziff Davis has a long history, with its brand dating back a century to the original Ziff Davis [2] - The company initially focused on eFax services and diversified into Internet-based digital media, software, and subscription data assets over the past decade [2] - In 2021, Ziff Davis rebranded after spinning off its legacy business, marking a significant transformation [3] Business Structure - The company serves global communities with digital media content, software, and database services [3] - As of February of this year, Ziff Davis has structured its operations into five divisions, which are now reportable segments [3]

Summary of Ziff Davis Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Ziff Davis (NasdaqGS: ZD) - **History**: Established over a century ago, originally focused on eFax services, diversified into digital media, software, and subscription data assets over the last decade [3][4] - **Business Structure**: Divided into five reportable segments: 1. **Tech and Shopping**: Brands include PCMag, CNET, RetailMeNot, focusing on consumer communities and e-commerce 2. **Gaming and Entertainment**: Includes IGN Entertainment and Humble Bundle, serving the gaming community 3. **Everyday Health**: Focuses on health and wellness, connecting pharma with consumers and professionals 4. **Connectivity**: Brands like Ookla and Ekahau, serving the broadband community 5. **Cybersecurity and MarTech**: Subscription and licensing services for marketing and cybersecurity [4][5] Financial Performance and Strategy - **Intrinsic Value vs. Share Price**: There is a perceived gap between the intrinsic value of Ziff Davis's businesses and its public share price, prompting a focus on capital allocation and stock buybacks [10][16] - **Stock Buyback Program**: Increased allocation of capital to stock buybacks, with approximately 3.6 million shares repurchased year-to-date, utilizing 80-85% of free cash flow [135][136] - **M&A Activity**: Seven acquisitions completed in 2025, with a focus on enhancing existing businesses rather than large-scale purchases [146][148] Market Dynamics and Growth Opportunities - **Conglomerate Discount**: The company acknowledges a conglomerate discount affecting its valuation, with hopes that the new five-segment reporting will help clarify the value of each division [18][35] - **Health and Wellness Growth**: The Everyday Health segment is experiencing double-digit revenue growth with high EBITDA margins, driven by connections between pharma advertisers and consumer health communities [40][55] - **Cybersecurity and MarTech Recovery**: This segment returned to growth in Q3 2025, with improvements in both the VIPRE business and consumer privacy services [84][86] Challenges and Considerations - **Traffic Dependency**: Approximately 35% of revenue is web traffic dependent, with half of that from search, raising concerns about future revenue stability as search dynamics evolve [112][114] - **Market Adaptation**: The company is aware of the changing landscape in digital media and search algorithms, which can impact revenue generation [127][129] Future Outlook - **Value Creation Focus**: The company aims to create shareholder value through disciplined capital allocation and enhancing business performance [154][156] - **Continued M&A Interest**: Ziff Davis remains open to considering transactions that could unlock value, especially if significant gaps in valuation are identified [37][39] This summary encapsulates the key points discussed during the Ziff Davis conference call, highlighting the company's structure, financial strategies, market dynamics, and future outlook.

Core Insights - Meridian Growth Fund's third-quarter 2025 performance was negatively impacted by sector positioning and strict investment discipline, resulting in a return of -1.78%, while the Russell 2500 Growth Index returned 10.73% [1] Company Overview - Ziff Davis, Inc. operates through two segments: Business Cloud Services and Digital Media, with a recent rebound in stock price following a return to organic growth after nearly four years [3] - The company reported a revenue of $363.7 million in Q3 2025, up from $353.6 million in the same period last year, indicating growth potential [4] Investment Analysis - The management team of Ziff Davis has a strong track record in capital allocation and value creation through strategic acquisitions, which has restored investor confidence [3] - Despite Ziff Davis's potential, the fund suggests that certain AI stocks may offer greater upside potential with less downside risk [4] - Ziff Davis's stock closed at $32.82 per share with a market capitalization of $1.346 billion, and it has seen a significant decline of 45.29% over the last 52 weeks [2]

Summary of Ziff Davis Conference Call Company Overview - Ziff Davis is a digital media and internet company with a portfolio of content and ad-supported brands, subscription-supported software brands, and subscription-supported data businesses [4][5] - The company has a history of growth through systematic acquisitions over the past 15 years [4] Financial Performance and Strategic Initiatives - Approximately 60% of Ziff Davis's revenue comes from advertising, with the remainder from subscriptions and licensing [4] - The company is currently exploring value-creating opportunities, including potential divestitures, due to a perceived disconnect between its market valuation and intrinsic value [5][8] - Ziff Davis is trading at roughly three to four times EBITDA, despite having strong growth and margins [7][8] Segment Performance - **Health and Wellness**: This is the largest segment, showing a 13% top-line growth in Q3 and 18% adjusted EBITDA growth. The segment benefits from a robust pharma market and digital commercialization trends [11][12] - **Connectivity**: The Ookla business, which includes Speedtest, is undergoing a reset with new leadership and is expected to return to growth, projecting a low double-digit growth rate for the upcoming year [13][14] - **Cybersecurity and MarTech**: The cybersecurity segment, including Viper and IPVanish, is returning to growth, although it has taken longer than expected [15] - **Tech and Shopping**: This segment experienced a decline in Q3, primarily due to winding down a part of the business, but is expected to stabilize [15][16] - **Gaming and Entertainment**: This segment is characterized by volatility due to game release cycles but remains a strong brand with IGN Entertainment [17] AI and Market Trends - Ziff Davis generates about one-third of its revenue from web traffic, with search-related revenue accounting for mid-teens percentage of total revenue [23] - The company is observing increased search volume driven by AI, but also significant volatility in search rankings, which impacts traditional publishers [24][25] - Ziff Davis is focused on maintaining trust in content quality amidst the rise of AI-generated content [26] Product Development and Innovation - Ziff Davis is integrating AI into its products, such as the Lose It app, which uses visual technology for food logging, enhancing user engagement and retention [28][29] - The company is developing AI-based insight and ad platforms, leveraging audience signals for market research and ad targeting [30][34] Capital Allocation and M&A Strategy - Ziff Davis prioritizes M&A, having closed seven deals in the current year, while also investing heavily in stock buybacks [41][42] - The company is selective in M&A to ensure cash flow generation aligns with risk-reward profiles [41] - Recent investments in connectivity products aim to expand market presence and address customer needs [43][45] Conclusion - Ziff Davis is actively exploring ways to unlock value within its portfolio while maintaining a focus on growth through both organic and inorganic means. The company is optimistic about its segments, particularly health and wellness, and is strategically investing in AI and product development to enhance its market position [38][39][40]

Group 1 - Ziff Davis (ZD) relies on tuck-in acquisitions for topline growth due to challenges in achieving organic growth [1] - The market shows significant concern regarding Ziff Davis's growth strategy and performance [1] Group 2 - The individual investor focuses on undercovered companies, particularly in technology, software, electronics, and energy transition sectors [1] - The investor has over 7 years of personal capital investment experience across a broad range of global companies [1] - The investor aims to identify asymmetric investment opportunities to achieve market-beating returns [1]

Revenue Performance - Total revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2025, were $363.7 million, an increase from $353.6 million in the same period of 2024, representing a growth of 2.9%[180] - Total revenues for Q3 2025 were $363.7 million, a 2.9% increase from $353.6 million in Q3 2024; revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, were $1,044.6 million, up 5.6% from $988.9 million in the same period of 2024[200] - Revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2025, increased by 2.9% to $363,711,000 compared to $353,580,000 in 2024, while revenues for the nine months increased by 5.6% to $1,044,556,000 from $988,865,000[200] Segment Performance - The Technology & Shopping segment generated $85.2 million in revenues for Q3 2025, a decrease of 1.1% compared to $87.1 million in Q3 2024[180] - The Health & Wellness segment saw revenues rise to $102.3 million in Q3 2025, up 12.5% from $90.8 million in Q3 2024[180] - Subscription and licensing revenues for the Cybersecurity & Martech segment totaled $69.1 million in Q3 2025, slightly down from $70.0 million in Q3 2024[180] - The Connectivity segment's total revenues were $57.2 million in Q3 2025, an increase from $55.9 million in Q3 2024, reflecting a growth of 2.2%[180] - Gaming & Entertainment segment had 514,000 customers in Q3 2025, up from 484,000 in Q3 2024, while average revenue per customer decreased slightly to $30.49 from $30.60[188] - Health & Wellness segment reported 1,902,000 customers in Q3 2025, an increase from 1,731,000 in Q3 2024, with average revenue per customer declining to $7.17 from $7.38[188] - Connectivity segment saw customer growth to 25,000 in Q3 2025 from 24,000 in Q3 2024, with average revenue per customer increasing to $1,988 from $1,972[188] - Cybersecurity & Martech segment had 1,232,000 customers in Q3 2025, down from 1,251,000 in Q3 2024, while average revenue per customer increased to $56.13 from $55.99[188] Cost and Expenses - Direct costs for Q3 2025 were $53.2 million, a 3.9% increase from $51.2 million in Q3 2024, representing 14.6% of revenues compared to 14.5% in the prior year[203] - Sales and marketing expenses increased by 8.2% to $137.8 million in Q3 2025 from $127.4 million in Q3 2024, accounting for 37.9% of revenues[204] - Research, development, and engineering costs for Q3 2025 were $15.4 million, a slight increase of 1.0% from $15.3 million in Q3 2024, representing 4.2% of revenues[206] - General, administrative, and other related costs for Q3 2025 were $53.996 million, a 3.0% increase from $52.417 million in Q3 2024, maintaining 14.8% of revenues[207] - Depreciation and amortization for Q3 2025 was $57.319 million, an 11.6% increase from $51.351 million in Q3 2024, representing 15.8% of revenues[208] Goodwill and Impairments - The company recorded a goodwill impairment of approximately $17.6 million in Q3 2025 due to a decline in fair value of a reporting unit within the Cybersecurity & Martech segment[192] - Goodwill impairment for Q3 2025 was $17.6 million, significantly lower than $85.3 million in Q3 2024, related to the Cybersecurity & Martech segment[210] Tax and Interest Expenses - Income tax expense for Q3 2025 was $12.8 million, compared to $(12.5) million in Q3 2024, resulting in an effective tax rate of 139.8%[216] - Interest expense, net for Q3 2025 was $(6.496) million, a 61.4% increase from $(4.024) million in Q3 2024, with total non-operating expenses rising by 189.7% to $(19.286) million[211] Cash Flow and Financing - Cash, cash equivalents, and investments totaled $622.9 million as of September 30, 2025, down from $664.1 million as of December 31, 2024[252] - Net cash provided by operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, was $215.986 million, a decrease of $16.096 million compared to the prior period[260] - Net cash used in investing activities decreased by $148.2 million to $116.371 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, primarily due to lower cash used on business acquisitions[262] - Net cash used in financing activities decreased by $211.6 million to $111.466 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, due to the absence of cash outflows related to the settlement of the 1.75% Convertible Notes[263] - The Company repurchased a total of 3,011,405 shares at an aggregate cost of $109.854 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2025, with 3,229,903 shares remaining under repurchase authorization[265] - Cumulatively, as of September 30, 2025, the Company repurchased 11,770,097 shares at an aggregate cost of $693.5 million[266] Strategic Outlook - The company anticipates continued growth despite potential economic challenges, including inflation and supply chain disruptions[172] - The company anticipates that acquisitions will remain a key component of its strategy, although the number and significance of future acquisitions may vary due to macroeconomic conditions[198] - The Company expects the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to reduce current income tax liabilities and increase deferred tax liabilities, though it does not anticipate a material impact on its effective tax rate[218] - The company plans to continue enhancing existing offerings and exploring acquisitions as part of its growth strategy, while monitoring macroeconomic conditions[198]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Q3 2025 revenues were $363.7 million, reflecting growth of nearly 3% compared to $353.6 million in Q3 2024 [16] - Adjusted EBITDA for Q3 2025 was $124.1 million, a slight decline of less than 1% from $124.7 million in the prior year [17] - Adjusted diluted EPS increased by more than 7% to $1.76 from $1.64 in Q3 2024, driven by share buybacks [17][25] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Tech and shopping revenue dropped 2% in Q3, with adjusted EBITDA down 12%, primarily due to the wind down of game publishing activities [8][20] - Health and wellness segment saw a 13% year-over-year revenue growth and 18% adjusted EBITDA growth, marking high watermarks for the division [10] - Cybersecurity and martech revenue grew 2% in Q3, driven by strong performance in consumer VPN and cloud backup [12] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Connectivity division delivered 2% year-over-year revenue growth, with year-to-date revenues up 7% [11] - Gaming and entertainment revenues were about 4% lower year-over-year, but adjusted EBITDA grew nearly 3% [9] - Advertising and performance marketing revenues grew 5.9% year-over-year, while subscription and licensing revenues grew by 2% [18] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is evaluating potential opportunities to unlock shareholder value, engaging outside advisors for this purpose [5][6] - There is a focus on maximizing value for shareholders while maintaining a profitable and growing business structure [6][7] - The company aims to continue its acquisition program while also engaging in share buybacks to capitalize on perceived valuation disconnects [15][23] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that the disconnect between the current market value and intrinsic value is at its widest, prompting a strategic review [31] - The company remains optimistic about its performance despite industry headwinds, particularly in segments like health and wellness [55] - Management anticipates that fiscal year 2025 results will fall within the lower half of the guidance range, with Q4 expected to be the largest revenue quarter [24] Other Important Information - The company has significant cash reserves of $503.4 million and long-term investments of $119.6 million, with a gross leverage of 1.7x trailing 12 months adjusted EBITDA [22] - Year-to-date free cash flow was $261.2 million, indicating strong cash generation capabilities [25] - The company has repurchased over 3.6 million shares since the start of 2025, deploying $109 million in share buybacks [23] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are the thoughts on valuation disconnects? - Management believes the disconnect between current and intrinsic value is at its widest, with interest from strategic and private equity investors [31][32] Question: Are there any properties considered off-limits for divesting? - Management stated that nothing is off the table, but exploring opportunities for select units is likely to be more value-accretive than considering the entire company [38][39] Question: How is the company positioned regarding AI search impacts? - Management indicated that the company is well-positioned and insulated from fluctuations in search traffic, with only 17.5% of revenue exposure coming from search [40] Question: What is the outlook for advertising growth in Q4? - Management expects subscription growth to outpace advertising growth in Q4, with some softness in product launches impacting advertising [58] Question: What are the M&A opportunities in the current market? - Management sees potential for aggressive acquisitions of smaller dislocated properties, balancing share buybacks and acquisitions [65][66] Question: Is there a shift towards targeting different growth profiles in M&A? - Management emphasized a continued focus on cash-on-cash returns and free cash flow, without signaling a change in their acquisition strategy [81][83]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Q3 2025 revenues were $363.7 million, reflecting growth of nearly 3% compared to $353.6 million in the prior year period [16] - Adjusted EBITDA for Q3 2025 was $124.1 million, a slight decline of less than 1% from $124.7 million in the prior year [17] - Adjusted diluted EPS increased by more than 7% to $1.76 from $1.64 in Q3 2024, aided by share buybacks [17][25] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Tech and shopping revenue dropped 2% in Q3, with adjusted EBITDA down 12%, primarily due to the wind down of game publishing activities [8][20] - Health and wellness segment saw a 13% year-over-year revenue growth and 18% adjusted EBITDA growth, marking high watermarks for the division [10] - Cybersecurity and martech revenue grew 2% in Q3, driven by strong performance in consumer VPN and cloud backup [12] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Year-to-date revenues in gaming and entertainment were up approximately 2%, with Q3 being Humble Bundle's best quarter of the year [9] - Connectivity division delivered 2% year-over-year revenue growth, with year-to-date revenues up 7% [11] - Advertising and performance marketing grew 5.9% year-over-year, while subscription and licensing revenues grew by 2% [18] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is evaluating potential opportunities to unlock shareholder value, engaging outside advisors for this purpose [5][6] - The focus remains on maximizing value for shareholders while continuing to operate the current profitable business structure [6] - The company is committed to a disciplined acquisition program and has closed seven acquisitions in the first nine months of 2025 [22][23] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that the disconnect between the current market value and intrinsic value of the company is at its widest [31] - The company anticipates fiscal year 2025 total revenues and adjusted diluted EPS to be within the lower half of its guidance range [24] - Management expressed optimism about the performance of various segments despite broader industry headwinds [56] Other Important Information - The company has significant cash reserves of $503.4 million and long-term investments of $119.6 million, with a gross leverage of 1.7 times trailing 12 months adjusted EBITDA [22] - Free cash flow for Q3 2025 was $108.2 million, 35% higher than the prior year period [25] Q&A Session Summary Question: Insights on valuation disconnect - Management acknowledged the valuation disconnect and noted that the recent segment-level reporting has attracted interest from strategic and private equity investors [30][32] Question: Strategic review and potential divestitures - Management stated that no specific properties are off-limits and that they are open to exploring opportunities for select units [38][39] Question: Impact of AI reviews on traffic - Management indicated that the company is well-positioned against fluctuations in search traffic, with only 17.5% of total revenue being web traffic dependent [40] Question: M&A opportunities and market dynamics - Management expressed interest in acquiring smaller dislocated properties and emphasized the balance between share buybacks and acquisitions [65] Question: Future growth and business model considerations - Management confirmed a preference for acquiring leadership brands and emphasized the importance of cash-on-cash returns in their investment strategy [81][82]