VeriSign, Inc. $VRSN Shares Bought by Axecap Investments LLC

Key Points

• Axecap Investments LLC boosted its VeriSign stake by 18.1% to 27,643 shares (worth $6.72M), making VRSN its fourth-largest holding; institutional ownership of the stock stands at about 92.9%.
• Q1 beat and raised guidance: VeriSign posted $2.34 EPS (vs. $2.30 est.) and $428.9M revenue (vs. $424.5M), prompting several analysts to lift targets (Robert W. Baird to $355), though the stock slipped as investors flagged tougher renewal comparisons and domain net-adds uncertainty.
• VeriSign declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 ($3.24 annual, ~1.2% yield) and has seen recent insider selling (2,490 shares sold over the last 90 days), which, combined with mixed institutional flows, may add near-term pressure.

Axecap Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN - Free Report) by 18.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 27,643 shares of the information services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,229 shares during the period. VeriSign comprises about 4.1% of Axecap Investments LLC's holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Axecap Investments LLC's holdings in VeriSign were worth $6,716,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in VeriSign by 8.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,443,710 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $3,199,318,000 after acquiring an additional 861,065 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in VeriSign by 8.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,253,980 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $1,189,285,000 after acquiring an additional 321,737 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in VeriSign by 13.8% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,523,495 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $985,063,000 after acquiring an additional 426,492 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in VeriSign by 4.5% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,049,235 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $293,335,000 after acquiring an additional 44,743 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in VeriSign by 12.3% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 965,600 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $269,953,000 after acquiring an additional 105,532 shares during the period. 92.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

VeriSign Stock Down 2.8%

VeriSign stock opened at $269.20 on Friday. VeriSign, Inc. has a 52-week low of $208.86 and a 52-week high of $310.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.75 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $246.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $246.75.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The information services provider reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.04. VeriSign had a net margin of 49.95% and a negative return on equity of 40.69%. The business had revenue of $428.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $424.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that VeriSign, Inc. will post 9.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

VeriSign Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. VeriSign's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.78%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Thomas C. Indelicarto sold 498 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.06, for a total value of $134,489.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 38,202 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,316,832.12. This represents a 1.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 2,490 shares of company stock worth $626,690 over the last ninety days. 0.56% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key VeriSign News

Here are the key news stories impacting VeriSign this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and raised guidance — VeriSign reported Q1 revenue and EPS above street expectations and raised/narrowed FY2026 revenue and operating-income guidance, driven by domain growth and margin expansion; that beat initially supported the stock. Business Wire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lift targets — Multiple firms raised forecasts and price targets after the print, including Robert W. Baird boosting its target to $355 (outperform), which signals some sell‑side conviction in continued domain growth and cash returns. Benzinga: Analysts Raise Forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raises price target (small upside) — JPMorgan nudged its target to $278 and kept a neutral rating, a moderate endorsement that tempers downside risk from the print. Benzinga: JPMorgan Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend and capital returns remain intact — VeriSign declared a quarterly dividend ($0.81) and continues share‑repurchase activity, supporting the income/cash‑return story but unlikely to move the stock materially on its own.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry backdrop — DNIB reported global domain registrations rose sequentially, reinforcing the secular demand picture for registry services. Business Wire: DNIB Domain Report
• Negative Sentiment: Investor focus on renewal-mix and forward growth — Post‑earnings selling appears tied to management commentary about tougher renewal comparisons later in 2026 (a higher mix of first‑time renewals) and uncertainty over domain net‑adds cadence, prompting repositioning and profit‑taking. Quiver Quant: Post‑Earnings Slide
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and positioning shifts — Recent disclosures show heavy insider sales activity and mixed institutional flows (some large funds trimming positions), which can amplify near‑term downside pressure after a rally.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of VeriSign from $273.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of VeriSign from $295.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of VeriSign from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of VeriSign from $305.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of VeriSign from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $317.67.

VeriSign Profile

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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