VeriSign, Inc. $VRSN Shares Purchased by AustralianSuper Pty Ltd

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd raised its stake in VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) by 57.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,909 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,133 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned about 0.06% of VeriSign worth $15,351,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VRSN. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its holdings in VeriSign by 20.2% in the second quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 226 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $65,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 25.3% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 198 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of VeriSign by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management now owns 452 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 923 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its position in VeriSign by 51.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 147 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 92.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VRSN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of VeriSign from $270.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $325.00 target price on shares of VeriSign in a report on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of VeriSign in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut VeriSign from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of VeriSign in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $282.00.

VeriSign Price Performance

Shares of VRSN stock opened at $244.21 on Friday. VeriSign, Inc. has a 12 month low of $211.79 and a 12 month high of $310.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.46 and a beta of 0.77. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $247.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $261.44.

Insider Activity at VeriSign

In related news, CEO D James Bidzos sold 2,000 shares of VeriSign stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.28, for a total value of $496,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 414,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $102,812,499.72. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Thomas C. Indelicarto sold 498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.71, for a total transaction of $123,857.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,613 shares in the company, valued at $7,613,759.23. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 38,333 shares of company stock worth $9,449,473 over the last 90 days. 0.84% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.