VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) Position Increased by Deutsche Bank AG

Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN - Free Report) by 37.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 575,976 shares of the information services provider's stock after buying an additional 156,016 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned 0.60% of VeriSign worth $119,204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in VeriSign by 59.4% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 102,042 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $19,224,000 after purchasing an additional 38,036 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of VeriSign by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 24,222 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $4,601,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the period. Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of VeriSign by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 17,920 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $3,709,000 after acquiring an additional 822 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of VeriSign by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,457 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Crestmont Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of VeriSign by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Crestmont Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,745 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $568,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. 92.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

VeriSign Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ VRSN traded up $0.45 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $276.40. 748,370 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 755,539. The company has a market capitalization of $25.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.55 and a beta of 0.80. VeriSign, Inc. has a 52-week low of $168.51 and a 52-week high of $288.95. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $254.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $221.98.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN - Get Free Report) last issued 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $400.44 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.92 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue 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. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. VeriSign's payout ratio is 37.65%.

Insider Activity at VeriSign

In related news, Director Yehuda Ari Buchalter sold 600 shares of VeriSign stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.79, for a total value of $170,274.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,059,955.65. The trade was a 13.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP John Calys sold 400 shares of VeriSign stock in a transaction on Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.97, for a total transaction of $112,788.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 23,335 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,579,769.95. This trade represents a 1.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 1,447 shares of company stock worth $386,654. 0.84% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

VeriSign Company 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.