VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) Shares Acquired by Achmea Investment Management B.V.

Achmea Investment Management B.V. raised its holdings in shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN - Free Report) by 404.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 96,636 shares of the information services provider's stock after buying an additional 77,494 shares during the period. Achmea Investment Management B.V. owned about 0.10% of VeriSign worth $24,534,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of VeriSign during the 4th quarter worth $214,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of VeriSign during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in VeriSign in the 4th quarter worth about $230,000. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 37,800 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $7,823,000 after buying an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Finally, Gulf International Bank UK Ltd lifted its position in shares of VeriSign by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 8,239 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $1,705,000 after acquiring an additional 868 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,059,955.65. The trade was a 13.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO D James Bidzos sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.40, for a total value of $1,402,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 553,625 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $155,236,450. This trade represents a 0.90% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 25,002 shares of company stock valued at $7,013,599 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

VeriSign Stock Performance

VeriSign stock opened at $283.21 on Friday. VeriSign, Inc. has a twelve month low of $172.49 and a twelve month high of $288.95. The firm has a market cap of $26.59 billion, a PE ratio of 34.62 and a beta of 0.77. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $276.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $242.69.

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, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10. VeriSign had a net margin of 50.23% and a negative return on equity of 41.37%. The business had revenue of $402.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $400.44 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.92 earnings per share. VeriSign's revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

VeriSign Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a -- dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were given a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. VeriSign's payout ratio is currently 37.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on VRSN shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded VeriSign from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 12th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on VeriSign from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report 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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