VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) Shares Purchased by Soros Capital Management LLC

Soros Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN - Free Report) by 234.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 46,954 shares of the information services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 32,907 shares during the quarter. VeriSign accounts for approximately 1.5% of Soros Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Soros Capital Management LLC's holdings in VeriSign were worth $9,718,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of VeriSign in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of VeriSign during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in VeriSign by 127.2% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 184 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new stake in shares of VeriSign in the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of VeriSign by 69.8% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 253 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.90% of the company's stock.

VeriSign Stock Up 1.3 %

NASDAQ VRSN traded up $3.28 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $251.36. The stock had a trading volume of 876,571 shares, compared to its average volume of 746,927. The company has a market cap of $23.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.42 and a beta of 0.87. VeriSign, Inc. has a 52-week low of $167.05 and a 52-week high of $258.67. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $241.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $212.80.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The information services provider reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.00. VeriSign had a net margin of 50.47% and a negative return on equity of 43.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on VRSN. StockNews.com upgraded VeriSign from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 12th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on VeriSign from $255.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of VeriSign from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Insider Buying and Selling at VeriSign

In other VeriSign news, SVP John Calys sold 447 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.75, for a total value of $103,592.25. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 23,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,500,586.25. This represents a 1.85 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.84% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About VeriSign

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.