VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) Price Target Raised to $278.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised its price target on VeriSign to $278 (a ~6.3% upside) while other analysts are more bullish (Robert W. Baird $355) and the consensus target is about $309.33.
• Q1 results beat expectations—EPS $2.34 vs $2.30 and revenue $428.9M (+6.6% YoY)—but forward guidance was merely in line with consensus, helping trigger a ~5.6% drop in the stock to $261.55.
• Mixed investor signals: the board declared a $0.81 quarterly dividend, institutional ownership remains high (92.9%) but there has been recent insider selling and some institutional position reductions, weighing on sentiment.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $273.00 to $278.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the information services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target would suggest a potential upside of 6.29% from the company's current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on VRSN. Zacks Research upgraded shares of VeriSign from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of VeriSign in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of VeriSign from $305.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of VeriSign from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $309.33.

VeriSign Stock Down 5.6%

VRSN stock traded down $15.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $261.55. 722,076 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 815,061. VeriSign has a 52 week low of $208.86 and a 52 week high of $310.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $245.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $246.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.83 billion, a PE ratio of 29.67 and a beta of 0.70.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The information services provider reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.04. VeriSign had a net margin of 49.84% and a negative return on equity of 40.40%. The company had revenue of $428.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $424.50 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.10 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that VeriSign will post 9.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other VeriSign news, EVP Thomas C. Indelicarto sold 498 shares of VeriSign stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.06, for a total transaction of $134,489.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 38,202 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,316,832.12. The trade was a 1.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 2,490 shares of company stock worth $626,690 over the last 90 days. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. iA Global Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of VeriSign by 13.5% in the first quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,286 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $2,803,000 after acquiring an additional 1,339 shares during the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of VeriSign in the first quarter valued at approximately $362,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of VeriSign by 64.6% in the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 260 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ raised its stake in shares of VeriSign by 4.1% in the first quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 19,858 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $4,932,000 after acquiring an additional 784 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of VeriSign by 31.0% in the first quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,241 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.90% of the company's stock.

VeriSign News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting VeriSign this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results: EPS $2.34 (beat), revenue ~$429M, +6.6% YoY — operating profit and net income rose YoY, showing continued core-margin strength. Verisign Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Robert W. Baird raised its price target to $355 and kept an Outperform — a materially higher target that signals upside from current levels. Baird Raises VRSN Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend: Board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81/share (annualized yield ~1.2%), payable late May — supportive for income-focused holders.
• Neutral Sentiment: Domain-market backdrop: DNIB reports 392.5M domain registrations at Q1 2026 (adds ~5.6M registrations QoQ), supporting long-term addressable market growth. DNIB Q1 2026 Domain Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials and transcript released — useful if you want management color on trends, margin drivers and capital allocation. Earnings Highlights / Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Forward outlook lacked clear upside: FY‑2026 revenue commentary was essentially in-line with consensus (~$1.7B), which likely disappointed traders looking for stronger guidance acceleration and helped trigger selling. Company Press Release (guidance)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and institutional flows: recent data show significant insider selling and some large institutional position reductions; cash and operating‑cash metrics also slipped YoY in the quarter — these governance/liquidity signals can weigh on sentiment. QuiverQuant Insider/Flows Summary

VeriSign Company 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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