VeriSign, Inc. $VRSN Shares Acquired by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) by 8.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,704 shares of the information services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in VeriSign were worth $11,380,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its position in shares of VeriSign by 112.5% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 102 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in VeriSign in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in VeriSign in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of VeriSign during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, North Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 239.0% during the third quarter. North Capital Inc. now owns 139 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. 92.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other VeriSign news, EVP Thomas C. Indelicarto sold 498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.71, for a total value of $123,857.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,613 shares in the company, valued at $7,613,759.23. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO D James Bidzos sold 2,000 shares of VeriSign stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.28, for a total transaction of $496,560.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 414,099 shares in the company, valued at $102,812,499.72. This represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 37,999 shares of company stock valued at $9,367,804 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on VRSN. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of VeriSign in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of VeriSign in a research note on Friday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of VeriSign from $270.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of VeriSign from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $325.00 price target on shares of VeriSign in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, VeriSign currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $298.00.

VeriSign Stock Down 3.0%

VRSN opened at $243.57 on Wednesday. VeriSign, Inc. has a 52-week low of $216.43 and a 52-week high of $310.60. The company has a 50 day moving average of $247.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $260.38. The company has a market cap of $22.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.39 and a beta of 0.75.

About VeriSign

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.