VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) Shares Acquired by Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN – Get Rating) by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 68,140 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,188 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.06% of VeriSign worth $11,836,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of VRSN. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of VeriSign in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in shares of VeriSign in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 2,628.6% in the 2nd quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 191 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the period. Alta Advisers Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of VeriSign in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd raised its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 20.9% in the 3rd quarter. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd now owns 394 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on VRSN. Citigroup began coverage on VeriSign in a report on Tuesday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $243.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com began coverage on VeriSign in a report on Wednesday, October 12th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded VeriSign from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $216.00 to $265.00 in a report on Thursday, December 15th.

VeriSign Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VRSN opened at $213.91 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $200.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $189.85. VeriSign, Inc. has a 1-year low of $155.25 and a 1-year high of $229.23. The company has a market cap of $22.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.45 and a beta of 0.95.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 27th. The information services provider reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.01. VeriSign had a negative return on equity of 47.71% and a net margin of 59.07%. The company had revenue of $357.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $356.40 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.40 EPS. VeriSign’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that VeriSign, Inc. will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO D James Bidzos sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.15, for a total value of $418,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 678,444 shares in the company, valued at approximately $141,896,562.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CFO George E. Kilguss III sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.79, for a total value of $3,041,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 136,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,648,794.18. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO D James Bidzos sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.15, for a total value of $418,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 678,444 shares in the company, valued at approximately $141,896,562.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 62,596 shares of company stock worth $12,921,126 in the last quarter. 0.98% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About VeriSign

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VeriSign, Inc provides domain name registry services and Internet infrastructure, which enables Internet navigation for many of the world’s most recognized domain names. It enables the security, stability, and resiliency of key Internet infrastructure and services, including providing root zone maintainer services.