GoDaddy Execs Sold at $101 Before Gen Digital Bid Emerged
Reports of a Gen Digital takeover offer sent GoDaddy shares surging 11% in a single session — but the company's CEO, CFO, and every other member of senior leadership had already sold more than $3 mill
GoDaddy Execs Sold at $101 Before Gen Digital Bid Emerged
NEW YORK, September 28 —
Even as reports of a Gen Digital takeover offer lifted GoDaddy Inc. (GDDY) shares 11% in a single session, the surge has since faded, leaving the stock at $94.84 and below every price at which the company's CEO, CFO, and four other senior insiders sold a combined $3.07 million in shares just days before those reports emerged.
- CEO Bhutani sold ~$1.27M between $97.44 and $101.19; CFO McCaffrey sold ~$593K at $100.37 and $101.19.
- GoDaddy carries $3.84B total debt against $1.21B trailing free cash flow; TTM revenue is $5.10B at 6.6% growth.
- Analyst consensus price target of $106.75 implies 12.6% upside; short interest stands at 8.4% of float.
Six Insiders, Two Days, Zero Buyers
GoDaddy Inc.'s Core Platform anchors small-business digital presence through domain registrations, web hosting, and SSL certificates, while its Applications and Commerce segment adds GoDaddy Payments and the Smart Terminal point-of-sale system. The company had posted four consecutive EPS beats entering September, the most recent $1.83 against a estimate. Against that operating backdrop, six insiders filed sell-side Form 4s on September 1 and 2: the CEO, CFO, Chief Strategy and Legal Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, and two directors. Total sales in the 90-day window reached $3.07 million. Purchases: zero.
The Bid That Stalled Below the Exit Range
Reports that Gen Digital had made a takeover offer for GoDaddy lifted shares 11% in a single session, a move that drew attention but failed to break out, per Investor's Business Daily, which noted the stock subsequently retreated. At $94.84, GDDY now sits below the $97.44-to-$101.92 range at which the CEO, CFO, and four colleagues sold. An August 4 8-K filing disclosed a new material definitive agreement and simultaneous creation of a direct financial obligation whose terms remain undisclosed. In the past four days, at least two investor notices on GlobeNewswire and PR Newswire have solicited shareholders with losses for class action participation.
| Ticker | Mkt cap | Fwd P/E | 52-wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| GDDY | $12.1B | 8.6x | -31.4% |
| HUBS | $10.4B | 12.1x | -58.9% |
| IT | $11.8B | 11.4x | -28.1% |
| FICO | $18.3B | 15.9x | -43.4% |
| BOX | $4.3B | 18.1x | -2.8% |
| GWRE | $11.9B | 27.1x | -37.2% |
What the Next Quarter Settles
The next quarterly earnings will show whether GoDaddy's four-beat EPS streak continues above the pace that justified exit prices near $101. Trailing free cash flow of $1.21 billion against $3.84 billion in total debt keeps structural stress contained. The analyst consensus target of $106.75 sits 12.6% above the current price, a gap that existed when insiders were selling. Whether the Gen Digital offer resurfaces formally is the key near-term question. The two class action notices remain at the solicitation stage. Run the numbers with Basis Report's full DCF model and price target → or the DCF calculator.
Current fundamentals, valuation and filing history for GoDaddy Inc. (GDDY) are tracked on its Basis Report page.
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Reports of a Gen Digital takeover offer sent GoDaddy shares surging 11% in a single session — but the company's CEO, CFO, and every other member of senior leadership had already sold more than $3 million in stock at $97 to $102 per share in the days before those reports surfaced, and the stock has since settled back below every one of those exit prices.