PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 139,193 shares of the information services provider's stock, valued at approximately $34,230,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab owned 0.15% of VeriSign at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. One Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in VeriSign by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. One Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,215 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S grew its holdings in VeriSign by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 64,246 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $15,609,000 after purchasing an additional 12,220 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in VeriSign in the fourth quarter valued at $396,000. GenTrust LLC grew its holdings in VeriSign by 138.6% in the fourth quarter. GenTrust LLC now owns 2,171 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $527,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its holdings in VeriSign by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 1,609 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $391,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.90% of the company's stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at VeriSign
In other news, EVP Danny R. Mcpherson sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.02, for a total value of $1,355,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 35,195 shares in the company, valued at $9,538,548.90. This represents a 12.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Thomas C. Indelicarto sold 498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.06, for a total value of $134,489.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 38,202 shares in the company, valued at $10,316,832.12. This trade represents a 1.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 7,490 shares of company stock worth $1,981,790 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.56% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research raised VeriSign from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Citigroup upped their target price on VeriSign from $295.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on VeriSign from $273.00 to $278.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on VeriSign from $305.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised VeriSign from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $317.67.
Read Our Latest Report on VRSN
VeriSign Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ:VRSN opened at $272.44 on Monday. VeriSign, Inc. has a 52-week low of $208.86 and a 52-week high of $310.60. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $250.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $246.80. The company has a market capitalization of $24.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.10 and a beta of 0.68.
VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The information services provider reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.04. VeriSign had a negative return on equity of 39.98% and a net margin of 49.95%.The business had revenue of $428.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $424.50 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.10 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that VeriSign, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current year.
VeriSign Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th will be given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 19th. VeriSign's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.80%.
About VeriSign
(
Free Report)
VeriSign, Inc NASDAQ: VRSN is an internet infrastructure company that operates critical components of the global Domain Name System (DNS) and provides cybersecurity-related services. The company is best known as the authoritative registry operator for the .com and .net top-level domains, maintaining the central databases and zone files that enable domain name resolution for millions of websites. VeriSign's registry role is performed under contractual agreements with Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and involves high-availability, highly secure operations to support continuous internet connectivity.
In addition to its registry business, VeriSign offers a suite of services designed to protect and accelerate DNS and internet traffic for enterprises and service providers.
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