Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD)

When you look at a company like Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD), which is guiding for 2025 revenue between $1.44 billion and $1.5 billion and boasts an 86.4% gross margin, you have to ask: what is the foundational blueprint for that kind of digital media and internet performance? The company's mission to provide trusted and innovative digital content is more than a slogan; it's the operating thesis behind their Q3 2025 TTM revenue of $1.46 billion. Do you know how the core values of Integrity and Innovation translate into a projected 2025 Adjusted EBITDA of up to $542 million, and what that means for your investment strategy?

Understanding the Mission Statement, Vision, and Core Values of Ziff Davis, Inc. is defintely the first step to mapping their future growth, especially as they navigate the complexities of AI integration and market volatility. Let's dig into the principles that drive a business with a 2025 Adjusted diluted EPS forecast of up to $7.28 per share.

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) Overview

If you're looking at Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD), the direct takeaway is this: you're analyzing a digital media and internet company with an almost century-long history that has successfully pivoted to a high-margin, diversified portfolio. The firm is a master of the digital pivot, moving from its 1927 founding as a print publisher to a modern, vertically-focused digital giant.

The company's original fame came from technology publishing, notably acquiring PC Magazine in 1982, but today, Ziff Davis is a diversified portfolio of over 40 leading brands. They operate across several distinct, high-value segments, which is a smart way to manage cyclical market risks.

• Technology & Shopping: Brands like Ookla (Speedtest) and RetailMeNot.
• Health & Wellness: Properties like Everyday Health and BabyCenter.
• Connectivity & Cybersecurity: Subscription services for security and cloud solutions.
• Martech (Marketing Technology): Tools and platforms for business marketing.

This structure helps Ziff Davis capture revenue from both advertising/performance marketing and recurring subscription/licensing fees. For the full fiscal year 2025, the company has reaffirmed its revenue guidance, projecting a midpoint of approximately $1.47 billion (with a range of $1.44 billion to $1.5 billion), which shows a steady, if not explosive, top-line performance.

Recent Financial Performance: Q3 2025 Results

You need to look closely at the latest quarterly data, which tells a more granular story than the full-year forecast. Ziff Davis delivered its fifth consecutive quarter of revenue growth in the third quarter of 2025, which is defintely a positive trend.

For the quarter ended September 30, 2025, Ziff Davis reported revenues of $363.7 million, an increase of 2.9% compared to the same period last year. This growth, while modest, is driven by the company's dual-engine revenue model. The advertising and performance marketing segment grew by 5.9% year-over-year in Q3 2025, while subscription and licensing revenue saw a 2% increase.

Here's the quick math on profitability: Adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) for Q3 2025 was $1.76, up more than 7% from $1.64 in Q3 2024. Also, the company's ability to generate cash is strong; net cash provided by operating activities hit $138.3 million in Q3 2025. What this estimate hides, though, is that year-to-date, Ziff Davis has swung to a net income of $46.98 million, a significant operational turnaround from a net loss in the prior nine-month period.

• Q3 2025 Revenue: $363.7 million.
• Q3 2025 Adjusted Diluted EPS: $1.76.
• Q3 2025 Advertising Revenue Growth: 5.9%.

Ziff Davis's Position in the Digital Media Landscape

Ziff Davis is not just a participant; it's a leader in its specific digital niches, which is why you see consistently high Adjusted EBITDA margins-they were 34.1% in Q3 2025. The company's Health & Wellness segment, for example, is a powerhouse, generating over $400 million in annual revenue and showing double-digit growth. That kind of performance in a specialized vertical is a clear indicator of market leadership and pricing power.

Management is currently exploring strategic alternatives, including the potential sale of entire divisions, because they believe there is a 'disconnect' between the company's intrinsic value and its current share price. This isn't a sign of weakness; it's a classic move by a seasoned operator to unlock shareholder value. They are using their position to force the market to recognize the value of their high-performing, cash-generating assets. If you want to understand the drivers behind this value-unlocking strategy, you should read more by Exploring Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Next Step: Portfolio Manager: Model a Sum-of-the-Parts (SOTP) valuation for Ziff Davis's five segments by Friday to assess the potential upside from a divestiture.

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) Mission Statement

You're looking for the foundational principles that guide Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD), especially as the market reacts to their strategic review and 2025 performance. The mission statement is your roadmap; it tells you exactly what they are trying to achieve and how they plan to create value. Ziff Davis's mission is to provide trusted and innovative digital content and services to our audience, aiming to empower individuals and businesses to thrive in a connected world.

This mission isn't just corporate boilerplate; it's directly linked to their financial resilience. For instance, the company recently reaffirmed its full-year 2025 revenue guidance to be between $1.44 billion and $1.50 billion, a projection that hinges on the successful execution of this mission across its diverse portfolio. That's a clear signal of management's confidence in their strategic direction.

Core Component 1: Delivering Trusted and High-Quality Content

The first crucial part of the mission is the emphasis on trusted content and services. In a world saturated with digital noise, Ziff Davis positions its brands-like PC Magazine, CNET, and Everyday Health-as authoritative sources. This commitment to quality is what allows them to maintain a high gross margin, which stood at a robust 86.4% as of late 2025, reflecting efficient operations and the premium value of their audience.

Their core value of Excellence underpins this component. You see this in their Health & Wellness segment, a high-margin vertical that saw revenue grow by 15.7% to $99.5 million in Q2 2025. This growth isn't accidental; it's driven by delivering high-quality, reliable health information and applications like Lose It! that people defintely trust for personal decisions. Here's the quick math: high trust equals premium ad rates and subscription loyalty. What this estimate hides, still, is the ongoing cost of maintaining editorial independence against market pressures.

• Maintain editorial integrity for brand authority.
• Drive premium ad revenue from trusted verticals.
• Ensure content quality supports high gross margins.

Core Component 2: Fostering Innovation and Cutting-Edge Solutions

The second pillar is innovation, which is essential for a digital media company operating in dynamic sectors like cybersecurity and martech (marketing technology). The core value of Innovation drives their systematic M&A program, a key part of their growth strategy. They don't just wait for the market to shift; they buy the shift.

A concrete example is the Q2 2025 acquisitions of Forensic and Compliance Systems and Email Industries, which expanded their Cybersecurity & Martech offerings, aligning with the mission to deliver 'cutting-edge' solutions. This segment is critical, as it has returned to growth, showing that targeted acquisitions are working. Also, they are integrating AI into products like Halo and Imagine to enhance ad targeting and market insights, which is a smart move to stay ahead of the curve. That's how you keep a competitive edge.

Core Component 3: Empowering Individuals and Businesses to Thrive

The final component is the purpose behind the content and services: empowering the audience. This is where the core values of Integrity and Collaboration come into play. Empowering a user means giving them the tools and knowledge to make a better decision, whether it's buying a new laptop on CNET or securing their data with a cybersecurity product.

Their Connectivity segment, which includes Ookla's Speedtest, is a perfect illustration. It empowers both consumers and businesses with objective data on internet performance. This segment demonstrated strong growth, with revenue up 14.2% in Q2 2025, maintaining a robust adjusted EBITDA margin of 47.3%. This high-margin performance proves that empowering the user with data-driven tools is a profitable business model. The company's commitment to ethical conduct and transparency also strengthens stakeholder trust, which is a long-term asset. If you want to dive deeper into how these segments drive the bottom line, you can check out Breaking Down Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors.

Next step: Analyze the impact of their current strategic review-exploring potential divestitures or a sale-on the future stability of these mission-critical segments. Finance: Model a scenario where the Health & Wellness segment is spun off by the end of Q1 2026.

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) Vision Statement

You're looking for the bedrock of Ziff Davis, Inc.'s (ZD) strategy-what drives their acquisitions and capital allocation-and the vision is clear: they aim to be the leading digital media and internet company, specifically dominating the cybersecurity and connectivity space. This isn't just a feel-good statement; it's a mandate that maps directly to their segmented revenue growth, especially in the near-term. Their mission is to provide trusted and innovative digital content and services, which is the engine for their full-year 2025 revenue guidance of between $1.44 billion and $1.50 billion.

To be fair, Ziff Davis has always been a portfolio company, but the current vision focuses their efforts on high-margin, durable cash-flow businesses. They're not just chasing clicks; they're building a moat around critical digital services. This focus is why their Adjusted EBITDA for fiscal year 2025 is projected to fall between $505 million and $542 million.

Ziff Davis's mission-to provide trusted and innovative digital content and services to its audience-is the foundation supporting its diverse portfolio. This means their brands, like IGN for gaming and Mashable for tech, must deliver content that genuinely influences a purchasing or life decision. In the third quarter of 2025 (Q3 2025), their advertising and performance marketing revenue grew 5.9% year-over-year, showing that this content-driven model is still working.

The company's Health & Wellness segment, which includes brands like Lose It! and the acquired Well+Good, is a prime example of this mission in action. This segment delivered 13% year-over-year revenue growth in Q3 2025, driven by pharma commercialization and AI-enhanced applications. That kind of growth isn't accidental; it's a direct result of providing innovative, high-utility services. We're talking about users logging meals 3.5x faster in the Lose It! app because of AI enhancements. That's a clear win.

Here's the quick math: high-quality, trusted content leads to high user engagement, which then translates into premium advertising and subscription revenue. It's that simple.

The vision to be the leading digital media and internet company is most tangibly realized in the Cybersecurity & Martech and Connectivity segments. These are the defensive, subscription-based businesses that provide recurring revenue and margin stability. The Cybersecurity & Martech segment, which includes VIPRE Security Group, returned to 2% revenue growth in Q3 2025, a critical turning point after a period of restructuring.

Their M&A strategy defintely reinforces this vision. In Q2 2025 alone, Ziff Davis completed tuck-in acquisitions like Forensic and Compliance Systems and Email Industries to bolster their security and compliance offerings. This shows a disciplined capital allocation framework, investing in areas that address a massive, growing market like the $12 billion market for phishing prevention.

The Connectivity segment, home to Speedtest by Ookla, is also seeing a reacceleration of growth, reporting 2% revenue growth in Q3 2025 with new product launches like Speedtest Certified. This segment is key because it provides essential tools for the connected world, which is the other half of their core vision.

Ziff Davis's core values-Integrity, Innovation, Collaboration, and Excellence-are not just words on a wall; they are the filter for their strategic decisions, especially around their use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and their exploration of a strategic review. Innovation is evident in the launch of AI-powered tools like Halo and Imagine for ad targeting and market insights.

The value of Excellence is demonstrated by their pursuit of value for shareholders. Management has engaged outside advisors to explore potential opportunities, including divestitures or a sale of certain businesses, to bridge the 'meaningful discount' between the company's intrinsic value and its current market capitalization. This is a hard-nosed, realistic move that prioritizes shareholder return, reflecting a commitment to financial excellence.

The company's commitment to Collaboration is seen in the seamless integration of their 97 acquisitions since 2013, which is how they've built their portfolio. They are willing to change the structure-moving to five reportable segments at the end of 2024-to provide greater insight and unlock value.

• Integrity: Upholding the highest principles of business ethics and data privacy.
• Innovation: Leveraging AI to enhance products and operational efficiency.
• Collaboration: Integrating acquisitions like Well+Good into the Health & Wellness segment.
• Excellence: Generating strong free cash flow, which was $108.2 million in Q3 2025.

Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) Core Values

When you look at a company like Ziff Davis, Inc., especially with its diverse portfolio spanning technology, health, and shopping, the core values aren't just posters on a wall; they're the engine driving its strategic capital allocation. We need to see how these principles translate into real-world business decisions and financial outcomes, especially with the company projecting full-year 2025 revenue between $1.4 billion and $1.5 billion.

The company's mission is clear: to provide trusted and innovative digital content and services to its audience. Their vision-to be the leading digital media company, driving industry growth and innovation-requires a bedrock of values to manage the inherent volatility of digital advertising and M&A. Here is how Ziff Davis's four primary core values show up in their 2025 operations and financial moves.

Integrity

Integrity is the foundation of a media and cybersecurity business; without trust, the entire model collapses. This value means adhering to the highest ethical standards, something Ziff Davis reinforced by revising its Code of Business Conduct and Ethics in February 2025. This isn't just a legal document; it's the playbook for how they handle everything from competitive practices to data privacy.

Their commitment to data privacy, for example, is baked into their operations with core principles of 'privacy by default' and 'privacy by design.' That's a critical operational cost, but it's a non-negotiable investment in their brand equity. Also, their 2024 ESG Report, which guides 2025 actions, details a strong governance structure, with the Board of Directors closely overseeing ESG strategies, ensuring accountability at the top.

• Revised Code of Conduct in 2025 for ethical clarity.
• Mandate 'privacy by design' for all new products.
• Board oversight of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies.

Innovation

Innovation is the lifeblood of a digital media company, especially one facing headwinds from search volatility and the growing influence of AI. You need to adapt, or you die. Ziff Davis is tackling this head-on by integrating artificial intelligence into its product offerings.

For instance, they launched Halo and Imagine-new AI initiatives aimed at improving ad targeting and market insights. This is a direct investment to counter a market risk. Strategically, their continued aggressive M&A program, with $70 million invested in the first nine months of 2025, including Q2 acquisitions like Forensic and Compliance Systems, shows a clear push to innovate their cybersecurity and martech offerings. That's a bet on future capabilities over short-term organic growth. It's a calculated risk, but a necessary one.

Collaboration

In a company built on a portfolio of acquired brands, collaboration is essential for realizing synergies (the plain English term for getting more value out of the combined parts). This value extends to their workforce, where they are actively building an inclusive culture to attract and retain talent.

Their Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are concrete examples of this value in action. They run a Global Internal Mobility Program, which lets employees apply for positions across the entire Ziff Davis portfolio first, fostering internal career growth. Plus, they've established partnerships with organizations like AFROTECH and Out in Tech to build a more diverse talent pipeline, demonstrating a commitment that goes beyond internal metrics. Honestly, a diverse team simply makes better business decisions. If you want to dive deeper into who is backing these strategies, check out Exploring Ziff Davis, Inc. (ZD) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Excellence

Excellence, in the financial world, means delivering consistent, high-quality results for shareholders and customers. You see this in Ziff Davis's focus on high-margin, sticky verticals like Health and Wellness, which delivered a 13% top-line growth in Q3 2025. That's a strong signal of operational focus.

The company's capital allocation also reflects a commitment to excellence. Management is aggressively addressing the market's depressed valuation by repurchasing shares, having used approximately 85% of its cash flow for buybacks through the first nine months of 2025. Furthermore, the company reported a strong Q3 2025 Free Cash Flow of $108.2 million, a 35.0% increase over the prior year, showing a clear ability to convert revenue into cash, which is defintely a mark of operational excellence.