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

Two Sigma Investments LP trimmed its holdings in VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN - Free Report) by 77.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 76,084 shares of the information services provider's stock after selling 259,858 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP owned 0.08% of VeriSign worth $15,746,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VRSN. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in VeriSign in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of VeriSign in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 127.2% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 184 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in VeriSign during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management boosted its stake in VeriSign by 69.8% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 253 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. 92.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Yehuda Ari Buchalter sold 600 shares of VeriSign stock in a transaction that occurred 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. This trade represents 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, SVP John Calys sold 400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.97, for a total value of $112,788.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 23,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,579,769.95. The trade was a 1.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 8,447 shares of company stock valued at $2,349,974. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

VeriSign Stock Up 0.3%

VRSN stock opened at $281.86 on Friday. VeriSign, Inc. has a 52-week low of $168.79 and a 52-week high of $288.95. The stock has a market cap of $26.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.23 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a fifty day moving average of $260.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $226.67.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The information services provider reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10. The firm had revenue of $402.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $400.44 million. VeriSign had a negative return on equity of 43.01% and a net margin of 50.47%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.92 EPS.

VeriSign Announces Dividend

The business 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 is Monday, May 19th. VeriSign's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VRSN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised VeriSign from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 12th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of VeriSign from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price 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.

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.

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