Latest news with #digitaldocuments
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
1 Magnificent Growth Stock Down 75% to Buy Hand Over Fist in June
Docusign stock was a pandemic darling, but the stock couldn't sustain its momentum once social distancing efforts ended. Docusign stock is down 75% from its 2021 peak, but the company continues to deliver steady revenue growth and its profits are soaring. The stock now trades at an attractive valuation relative to its history, and artificial intelligence (AI) could fuel its next move higher. 10 stocks we like better than Docusign › Docusign (NASDAQ: DOCU) stock soared to a peak of $310 in 2021 on the back of an incredible spike in demand for the company's suite of digital document tools, which helped businesses keep their operations running smoothly in the face of the pandemic's lockdowns and social distancing restrictions. Since that pandemic tailwind subsided, the stock has slumped by 75% from that peak, but the business itself is still generating steady revenue growth, and its profits are currently soaring. Plus, Docusign is experiencing strong demand for its new Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM) platform, which is powered by artificial intelligence (AI). On June 6, Docusign reported results for its fiscal 2026 first quarter (which ended April 30), and management increased its full-year revenue guidance, which signals clear momentum across the business. Here's why investors might want to buy the stock now. Docusign transformed its product portfolio over the past year. It still helps businesses create, negotiate, and close contracts, but AI is now at the center of that mission. The IAM platform is designed to solve the "agreement trap" more effectively. According to a study by Deloitte, the inefficiencies caused by poor contract management processes result in $2 trillion in lost economic value every year. That represents a massive opportunity for Docusign. IAM features a growing list of revolutionary products. Navigator, for example, is a digital repository where businesses can store their agreements. It uses AI to extract critical details from each document so they are discoverable via its search function, which saves employees from spending valuable time digging through contracts manually. Then there is AI-Assisted Review, which can help employees rapidly identify problematic clauses or even opportunities within each agreement. Businesses can also set pre-approved standards so the tool knows exactly what to look for, which reduces the time it takes to reach a final deal. Maestro ties the IAM platform together with a series of no-code tools that allow businesses to automate agreement workflows. They can drag-and-drop features like webforms, ID verification, and eSignature into each contract, which saves significant amounts of time and money compared to manual processes, especially when creating agreements at scale. At the end of its first quarter of fiscal 2026, Docusign had 1.7 million paying enterprise customers and more than 1 billion individual users. The company launched the IAM platform in April 2024, and it already has 10,000 paying enterprise customers who have used it to process tens of millions of agreements so far. During the quarter, IAM sales in international markets soared by 50% compared to fiscal 2025 Q4, which highlights the platform's serious momentum. Docusign generated $763.7 million in total revenue during fiscal Q1. That was an 8% increase from the year-ago period, and comfortably above the $749 million that had been the high end of management's guidance range. In fact, the strong result prompted the company to revise its revenue forecast for fiscal 2026 upward by $22 million to $3.163 billion at the high end of the range. In my opinion, Docusign could be growing its revenue more quickly, but it's carefully managing its costs to improve its bottom line rather than investing more heavily in customer acquisition. The company's total operating expenses only increased by 1.6% year over year during the first quarter, which was a much slower rate than its revenue increased. As a result, its net income surged by 113.5% to $72.1 million on a GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) basis. Docusign also achieved a solid result in the bottom line on a non-GAAP basis, which excludes one-off and non-cash expenses like stock-based compensation. Non-GAAP net income came in at $190.8 million, which was an increase of 10% from the year-ago period. Non-GAAP results can be particularly useful for investors to consider when a company incurs a large one-off benefit or expense. For example, during Docusign's fiscal 2025 second quarter, it reported a large one-off tax benefit worth $816 million which massively skewed its net income, so its GAAP earnings weren't a true reflection of the performance of its actual business. When Docusign stock peaked in 2021, its price-to-sales (P/S) ratio soared to an unsustainable level of around 40. The 75% decline in its stock since then, combined with the company's steady revenue growth, has pushed its P/S ratio down to a more reasonable 5.4. In fact, that's a 56% discount to its average P/S ratio of 12.5 since the stock went public in 2018. Docusign also trades at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of just 14.6, which makes it far cheaper than the S&P 500 index, which is trading at a P/E ratio of 23.3. However, that is based on Docusign's trailing 12-month GAAP earnings per share (EPS) which, as I mentioned earlier, was skewed by a one-off tax benefit from the second quarter of fiscal 2025. Therefore, the P/S ratio might be a better way to value the stock right now, but no matter which way you slice it, Docusign's valuation appears attractive. The picture looks even better when you factor in the company's addressable market, which could be worth $50 billion according to an estimate issued by management last year. Based on its current revenue, it has barely scratched the surface of that opportunity. In summary, Docusign stock can offer investors unique exposure to the AI revolution, and its combination of steady revenue growth and soaring profits could make it a great addition to any diversified portfolio at the current price. Before you buy stock in Docusign, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Docusign wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $655,255!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $888,780!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 999% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 174% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Anthony Di Pizio has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Docusign. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 1 Magnificent Growth Stock Down 75% to Buy Hand Over Fist in June was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Times
12-06-2025
- Business
- Times
Updating the law is welcome but digitising wills comes with risks
It has been many years in the making, but the Law Commission's recent report on wills — together with a draft bill — includes radical suggestions to modernise the system. While virtually all documents can be created and signed electronically today, an English will in 2025 differs only marginally from one created at the time of the 1837 Wills Act, and often bears a greater resemblance to a Dickensian document than one drafted in the 21st century. The report and draft bill pave the way for electronic wills, bringing England and Wales into line with other jurisdictions that allow digital wills, such as the US, where several states recognise such wills, and parts of Canada and Australia. While the recognition that the law must reflect changes in society is to be welcomed, it is important to be aware of the potential risks, such as how documents will be made and stored securely. Electronic documents are more likely to be hacked, corrupted and to be subject to fraud. It may be easier to corrupt an electronically stored document and amend its provisions than to forge a paper will. Digital documents are more easily deleted accidentally, and if remote witnessing becomes a reality, then undue influence could be of increasing concern. The commission appears to be aware of the potential risks and has indicated that electronic wills will only be valid if they are registered and stored on a government-authorised central storage system, which should mitigate some of the risks. The requirements will be similar to those for paper wills in that a will must be written, signed by the testator, and witnessed by two people present at the same time. • At last, a proposal to overhaul 188-year-old wills legislation However, additional safeguards are highlighted — for example, the testator and witnesses should be linked to their signatures at the time of signing, and the original or authentic will must be identifiable from copies and protected from unauthorised alteration or destruction. The report goes on to say that the commission does not recommend the means or technology necessary to establish these criteria, which could mean that corners are cut at the lower end of the market in an attempt to keep prices low. In addition, the report advises giving the courts a 'dispensing power' to recognise documents that are not formal wills but that show a testator's intentions, including videos, electronic documents and recordings. The fact that the court would need to approve these 'wills' should act as a check and balance — however, there are clearly risks associated with proving the authenticity of such Lynn is a partner at the law firm Russell-Cooke
Arabian Business
23-05-2025
- Business
- Arabian Business
UAE Verify platform certifies nearly 22 million digital documents
The UAE Verify platform, affiliated with the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), has issued over 21.789 million certified digital documents since its launch in mid-January 2022, as reported by Emirates News Agency (WAM). This achievement highlights the platform's critical role in streamlining authentication processes for government and private entities. According to WAM, TDRA had introduced the UAE Verify platform to enable government and private entities to verify the authenticity of digital documents issued by government authorities on an immediate basis and without the need for original hard copy or true copy. The platform now supports verification for 55 types of digital documents issued by 22 federal and local government entities. UAE Verify makes use of the block chain technology, described as a shared, immutable real-time ledger used to record financial transactions, contracts and various types of documents. This technology ensures data regulation, authenticity verification, secure information sharing, and privacy protection, enabling users to convert documents into authenticated digital versions with high levels of security.
Zawya
23-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
‘UAE Verify' platform issues nearly 22mln certified documents
ABU DHABI - The UAE Verify platform, affiliated with the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), has issued over 21.789 million certified digital documents since its launch in mid-January 2022. TDRA introduced the UAE Verify platform to enable government and private entities to verify the authenticity of digital documents issued by government authorities on an immediate basis and without the need for original hard copy or true copy. The platform continues to play a vital role in advancing the UAE's comprehensive digital transformation. It now supports verification for 55 types of digital documents, issued by 22 federal and local government entities. UAE Verify employs blockchain technology, a shared, immutable real-time ledger used to record financial transactions, contracts and various types of documents. This technology helps regulate data and digital documents, verify authenticity, facilitate information sharing and ensure privacy protection. The platform enables users to convert their documents into authenticated digital versions with high levels of privacy and security.
