Robert W. Baird Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) Stock

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at Robert W. Baird from $305.00 to $355.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the information services provider’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 31.87% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on VRSN. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of VeriSign from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of VeriSign from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of VeriSign from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of VeriSign from $270.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.67.

VeriSign Trading Down 2.8%

Shares of VRSN opened at $269.20 on Friday. VeriSign has a 12 month low of $208.86 and a 12 month high of $310.60. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $246.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $246.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.75 and a beta of 0.70.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The information services provider reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.04. VeriSign had a net margin of 49.95% and a negative return on equity of 40.69%. The business had revenue of $428.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $424.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that VeriSign will post 9.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other VeriSign news, EVP Thomas C. Indelicarto sold 498 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.06, for a total value of $134,489.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 38,202 shares in the company, valued at $10,316,832.12. This trade represents a 1.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 2,490 shares of company stock valued at $626,690 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of VeriSign

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 112.5% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 102 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of VeriSign during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of VeriSign during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 429.2% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 127 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting VeriSign

Here are the key news stories impacting VeriSign this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and raised guidance — VeriSign reported Q1 revenue and EPS above street expectations and raised/narrowed FY2026 revenue and operating-income guidance, driven by domain growth and margin expansion; that beat initially supported the stock. Business Wire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lift targets — Multiple firms raised forecasts and price targets after the print, including Robert W. Baird boosting its target to $355 (outperform), which signals some sell‑side conviction in continued domain growth and cash returns. Benzinga: Analysts Raise Forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raises price target (small upside) — JPMorgan nudged its target to $278 and kept a neutral rating, a moderate endorsement that tempers downside risk from the print. Benzinga: JPMorgan Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend and capital returns remain intact — VeriSign declared a quarterly dividend ($0.81) and continues share‑repurchase activity, supporting the income/cash‑return story but unlikely to move the stock materially on its own.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry backdrop — DNIB reported global domain registrations rose sequentially, reinforcing the secular demand picture for registry services. Business Wire: DNIB Domain Report
• Negative Sentiment: Investor focus on renewal-mix and forward growth — Post‑earnings selling appears tied to management commentary about tougher renewal comparisons later in 2026 (a higher mix of first‑time renewals) and uncertainty over domain net‑adds cadence, prompting repositioning and profit‑taking. Quiver Quant: Post‑Earnings Slide
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and positioning shifts — Recent disclosures show heavy insider sales activity and mixed institutional flows (some large funds trimming positions), which can amplify near‑term downside pressure after a rally.

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.