Wick Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN – Free Report) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 240,362 shares of the information services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $58,396,000. VeriSign accounts for 4.2% of Wick Capital Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding.
Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of VRSN. Vancity Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of VeriSign in the 4th quarter worth approximately $241,000. Compound Planning Inc. boosted its stake in shares of VeriSign by 45.0% during the fourth quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,476 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $359,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in VeriSign by 19.8% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,491,035 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $362,247,000 after buying an additional 246,887 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in VeriSign by 109.7% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 35,351 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $8,589,000 after buying an additional 18,492 shares during the period. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new position in VeriSign in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,474,000. Institutional investors own 92.90% of the company’s stock.
VeriSign Stock Performance
NASDAQ:VRSN opened at $264.64 on Friday. VeriSign, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $208.86 and a fifty-two week high of $312.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.24 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $283.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $256.16.
VeriSign Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. VeriSign’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.80%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, EVP Thomas C. Indelicarto sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.54, for a total transaction of $141,770.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 36,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,363,670.54. This represents a 1.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO D James Bidzos sold 3,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.47, for a total value of $981,651.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 439,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $130,690,172.33. The trade was a 0.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 16,896 shares of company stock valued at $4,739,271. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup upped their target price on VeriSign from $295.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on VeriSign from $285.00 to $308.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on VeriSign from $305.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded VeriSign from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, VeriSign currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.67.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on VRSN
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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