VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) Shares Sold by Two Sigma Advisers LP

Two Sigma Advisers LP cut its holdings in VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN - Free Report) by 78.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 83,495 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 302,300 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned approximately 0.09% of VeriSign worth $17,280,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRSN. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in VeriSign in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in VeriSign in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in VeriSign by 127.2% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 184 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in VeriSign in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management lifted its stake in VeriSign by 69.8% in the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 253 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. 92.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VRSN. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of VeriSign from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of VeriSign from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of VeriSign from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th.

VeriSign Price Performance

Shares of VRSN stock traded down $2.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $279.76. 556,585 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 755,485. The stock has a market cap of $26.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.97 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's fifty day moving average is $260.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $227.64. VeriSign, Inc. has a 52-week low of $168.79 and a 52-week high of $288.95.

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, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.10. The business had revenue of $402.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $400.44 million. VeriSign had a net margin of 50.47% and a negative return on equity of 43.01%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.92 earnings per share.

VeriSign Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at VeriSign

In related news, SVP John Calys sold 447 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.75, for a total value of $103,592.25. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Yehuda Ari Buchalter sold 600 shares of the 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,447 shares of company stock valued at $2,349,974. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.