VeriSign, Inc. $VRSN Shares Purchased by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 26,663 shares of the information services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,159 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in VeriSign were worth $6,478,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of VeriSign in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 429.2% in the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 127 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in shares of VeriSign in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 51.5% in the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 147 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of VeriSign from $295.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of VeriSign from $273.00 to $278.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of VeriSign from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of VeriSign from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of VeriSign from $305.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, VeriSign has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $317.67.

VeriSign Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of VeriSign stock opened at $269.20 on Friday. VeriSign, Inc. has a 52-week low of $208.86 and a 52-week high of $310.60. The company has a 50 day moving average of $246.64 and a 200 day moving average of $246.92. The company has a market capitalization of $24.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.75 and a beta of 0.70.

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

VeriSign Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 19th. VeriSign’s payout ratio is currently 36.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at VeriSign

In other news, EVP Thomas C. Indelicarto sold 498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.06, for a total transaction of $134,489.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 38,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,316,832.12. The trade was a 1.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,490 shares of company stock worth $626,690. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

VeriSign News Summary

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.

VeriSign Company 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.