Woodson Capital Management LP Takes $12.36 Million Position in VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN)

Woodson Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 60,000 shares of the information services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $12,358,000. VeriSign comprises about 2.5% of Woodson Capital Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Woodson Capital Management LP owned 0.06% of VeriSign at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of VeriSign by 52.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 152 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA boosted its stake in VeriSign by 158.6% in the 4th quarter. Baldwin Brothers LLC MA now owns 181 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in VeriSign by 251.5% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 355 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. CX Institutional bought a new position in VeriSign in the 4th quarter worth about $79,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in VeriSign in the 4th quarter worth about $97,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.90% of the company’s stock.

VeriSign Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of VRSN traded down $0.83 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $171.17. 721,573 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 882,190. The stock has a market cap of $17.05 billion, a PE ratio of 21.03 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $180.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $195.17. VeriSign, Inc. has a 12 month low of $167.04 and a 12 month high of $228.26.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The information services provider reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $384.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $381.85 million. VeriSign had a negative return on equity of 47.21% and a net margin of 55.04%. VeriSign’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on VRSN shares. Citigroup cut their target price on VeriSign from $237.00 to $236.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded VeriSign from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on VeriSign from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 26th.

Insider Activity at VeriSign

In related news, Director Yehuda Ari Buchalter sold 866 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.01, for a total transaction of $147,228.66. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $622,406.61. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Danny R. Mcpherson sold 2,875 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.19, for a total transaction of $558,296.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 30,895 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,999,500.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Yehuda Ari Buchalter sold 866 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.01, for a total value of $147,228.66. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,661 shares in the company, valued at $622,406.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 6,170 shares of company stock valued at $1,143,183. Corporate insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

VeriSign Profile

VeriSign, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides domain name registry services and internet infrastructure that enables internet navigation for various recognized domain names worldwide. The company enables the security, stability, and resiliency of internet infrastructure and services, including providing root zone maintainer services, operating two of thirteen internet root servers; and offering registration services and authoritative resolution for the .com and .net domains, which supports global e-commerce.