VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) Shares Sold by DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main

DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main lessened its holdings in shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN - Free Report) by 69.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,285 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 7,309 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main's holdings in VeriSign were worth $680,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of VeriSign from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 12th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of VeriSign from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note 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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP John Calys sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.97, for a total transaction of $112,788.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Yehuda Ari Buchalter sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.79, for a total transaction of $170,274.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,735 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,059,955.65. The trade was a 13.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,447 shares of company stock valued at $386,654. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

VeriSign Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of VeriSign stock traded up $5.24 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $281.64. The stock had a trading volume of 794,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 755,693. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $254.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $222.36. VeriSign, Inc. has a 12-month low of $168.51 and a 12-month high of $288.95. The firm has a market cap of $26.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.21 and a beta of 0.80.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The information services provider reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $400.44 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.92 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis.

VeriSign Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. VeriSign's payout ratio is currently 37.65%.

About VeriSign

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.