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Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) Stock Analysis

SellVALUE-TRAP 2/5Moderate Confidence

Communication Services · Advertising Agencies

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $42.17: Quality below floor (3.8 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.7/10. Specifically: High short interest: 20%; Elevated put/call ratio: 1.33; Below-average business quality.

Ziff Davis is a vertically focused digital media and internet company with five segments: Technology & Shopping, Gaming & Entertainment, Health & Wellness, Connectivity, and Cybersecurity & Martech. Revenue comes from advertising/performance marketing on owned digital properties... Read more

$42.17+14.0% A.UpsideScore 4.7/10#8 of 9 Advertising Agencies
QualityF-score8 / 9FCF yield-1.16%
Stop $39.01Target $47.82(resistance)A.R:R -0.5:1
Analyst target$46.43+10.1%7 analysts
$47.82our TP
$42.17price
$46.43mean
$30
$60

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $42.17: Quality below floor (3.8 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.7/10. Specifically: High short interest: 20%; Elevated put/call ratio: 1.33; Below-average business quality. Chart setup: No recognized chart pattern (not a breakout, bounce, continuation, recovery, falling knife, or range) — technicals mixed. Score 4.7/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 7/9 gates (positive momentum, clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, earnings proximity 78d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on favorable risk/reward ratio. Suitability: aggressive.

Val6.6Qual3.8Grw2.5Mom5.0Sent6.2Ins5.0Peer3.4Tech7.0Risk4.04.7OVERALL

Recent Developments — Ziff Davis, Inc.

Latest news

Generated 2026-05-20T20:21:22Z.

Thesis

Rewards
No bull case signals
Risks
Target reached (-3.7% upside)
Quality below floor (3.8 < 4.0)
Value-trap signals (2/5): High leverage (D/E 9.7), Material insider selling (17 sells, 0.04% of cap)

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)35.9
P/E (Fwd)7.7
Mkt Cap$1.5B
EV/EBITDA4.7
Profit Mgn3.1%
ROE2.1%
Rev Growth-1.9%
Beta1.08
DividendNone
Rating analysts15

Quality Signals

Piotroski F8/9

Options Flow

P/C1.33bearish
IV46%normal
Max Pain$15-64.4% vs spot

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

3 floor-breakers

Revenue shrinking — -1.9% YoY. Growth thesis broken unless recovery story develops.static

Revenue Growth
2.0
Earnings Growth
2.9
Declining revenue: -2%

Ranks in the bottom of its industry peers on the composite signal. Better names in the same sector exist.static

Growth Rank
1.1
Quality Rank
3.7
Value Rank
3.9

Quality below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

Fcf Quality
0.0
Operating Margin
0.5
Roe
0.7
Net Margin
1.6
Roa
2.3
Rule Of 40
3.0
Moat
5.4
Current Ratio
6.0
Piotroski F
8.9
Gross Margin
10.0
Earnings quality RED FLAG: -39% FCF/NINo competitive moatRule of 40: -3 (fail)Strong Piotroski F-Score: 8/9
GatesA.R:R -0.5=NEGATIVEMomentum 5.0<5.5 (soft — BUY_NOW allowed but watch)Momentum 5.0>=4.5Insider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsNEWS EVENTS NONE RECENTEARNINGS PROXIMITY 78d clearSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARMATERIALS CYCLE PEAK CLEARSuitability: Aggressive
RSI
28 · Oversold
↓ 20D MA↓ 50D MA↑ 200D MAGOLDEN CROSSSupport $39.66Resistance $48.80

Price Targets

$39
$48
A.Upside+13.4%
A.R:R-0.5:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0.5%
Max %1%
RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Target reached (-3.7% upside)
! Quality below floor (3.8 < 4.0)
! Value-trap signals (2/5): High leverage (D/E 9.7), Material insider selling (17 sells, 0.04% of cap)

Earnings

B
M
M
M
1/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-08-06 (78d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ZD stock a buy right now?

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $42.17: Quality below floor (3.8 < 4.0) triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.7/10. Specifically: High short interest: 20%; Elevated put/call ratio: 1.33; Below-average business quality. Chart setup: No recognized chart pattern (not a breakout, bounce, continuation, recovery, falling knife, or range) — technicals mixed. Prior stop was $39.01. Score 4.7/10, moderate confidence.

What is the ZD stock price target?

Take-profit target: $47.82 (+14.0% upside). Prior stop was $39.01. Stop-loss: $39.01.

What are the risks of investing in ZD?

Target reached (-3.7% upside); Quality below floor (3.8 < 4.0); Value-trap signals (2/5): High leverage (D/E 9.7), Material insider selling (17 sells, 0.04% of cap).

Is ZD overvalued or undervalued?

Ziff Davis, Inc. trades at a P/E of 35.9 (forward 7.7). TrendMatrix value score: 6.6/10. Verdict: Sell.

What do analysts say about ZD?

15 analysts cover ZD with a consensus score of 3.9/5. Average price target: $46.

What does Ziff Davis, Inc. do?Ziff Davis is a vertically focused digital media and internet company with five segments: Technology & Shopping, Gaming...

Ziff Davis is a vertically focused digital media and internet company with five segments: Technology & Shopping, Gaming & Entertainment, Health & Wellness, Connectivity, and Cybersecurity & Martech. Revenue comes from advertising/performance marketing on owned digital properties and cloud-based SaaS subscriptions; it has deployed ~$3.3B across nearly 100 acquisitions since 2012.

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