XTX Topco Ltd Makes New Investment in VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN)

XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,218 shares of the information services provider's stock, valued at approximately $252,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 69,175 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $13,066,000 after acquiring an additional 3,760 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in VeriSign during the third quarter valued at approximately $130,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in VeriSign by 54.8% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 27,175 shares of the information services provider's stock valued at $5,162,000 after purchasing an additional 9,619 shares during the last quarter. Tri Ri Asset Management Corp bought a new position in shares of VeriSign in the third quarter valued at approximately $5,204,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of VeriSign by 59.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 102,042 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $19,224,000 after buying an additional 38,036 shares during the last quarter. 92.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other VeriSign news, SVP John Calys sold 447 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 23,735 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,500,586.25. The trade was a 1.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of VeriSign from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on VeriSign from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on VeriSign from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th.

VeriSign Stock Up 0.8 %

VeriSign stock traded up $2.17 on Tuesday, hitting $278.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 887,845 shares, compared to its average volume of 745,741. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $244.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $214.88. The firm has a market cap of $26.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.80 and a beta of 0.87. VeriSign, Inc. has a one year low of $167.05 and a one year high of $279.94.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The information services provider reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10. VeriSign had a negative return on equity of 43.01% and a net margin of 50.47%. The business had revenue of $402.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $400.44 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.92 EPS. VeriSign's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

VeriSign Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a -- dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. VeriSign's payout ratio is presently 37.65%.

VeriSign Company 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.