Bridgeway Capital Management LLC Sells 6,900 Shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN)

Bridgeway Capital Management LLC cut its position in shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN - Free Report) by 41.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,900 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 6,900 shares during the quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC's holdings in VeriSign were worth $2,049,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of VeriSign by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,960 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $406,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in VeriSign by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $674,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional increased its stake in VeriSign by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,173 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its position in VeriSign by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 1,469 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $304,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC boosted its stake in shares of VeriSign by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 1,429 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other VeriSign news, SVP John Calys sold 447 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.75, for a total value of $103,592.25. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 23,735 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,500,586.25. This trade represents a 1.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Yehuda Ari Buchalter sold 600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.79, for a total transaction of $170,274.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,735 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,059,955.65. The trade was a 13.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,447 shares of company stock worth $386,654. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

VeriSign Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:VRSN opened at $281.41 on Friday. VeriSign, Inc. has a 12-month low of $168.51 and a 12-month high of $288.95. The business has a 50 day moving average of $252.53 and a 200-day moving average of $220.43. The stock has a market cap of $26.42 billion, a PE ratio of 35.18 and a beta of 0.80.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The information services provider reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10. VeriSign had a net margin of 50.47% and a negative return on equity of 43.01%. The business had revenue of $402.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $400.44 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.92 earnings per share. VeriSign's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

VeriSign Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a -- dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. VeriSign's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on VRSN shares. StockNews.com raised VeriSign from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of VeriSign from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of VeriSign from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th.

VeriSign Profile

VeriSign, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides domain name registry services and internet infrastructure that enables internet navigation for various recognized domain names worldwide. The company enables the security, stability, and resiliency of internet infrastructure and services, including providing root zone maintainer services, operating two of thirteen internet root servers; and offering registration services and authoritative resolution for the .com and .net domains, which supports global e-commerce.

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