Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Purchases 197,402 Shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) by 150.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 329,027 shares of the information services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 197,402 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in VeriSign were worth $83,530,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cache Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of VeriSign during the 4th quarter worth approximately $685,000. Berkshire Hathaway Inc increased its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc now owns 13,271,457 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $2,746,661,000 after purchasing an additional 455,844 shares during the last quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund bought a new position in shares of VeriSign in the fourth quarter valued at about $600,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of VeriSign by 358.9% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 70,017 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $17,775,000 after purchasing an additional 54,759 shares during the period. Finally, Albert D Mason Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of VeriSign during the 1st quarter worth about $321,000. Institutional investors own 92.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other VeriSign news, SVP John Calys sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.97, for a total transaction of $112,788.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 23,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,579,769.95. This trade represents a 1.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO D James Bidzos sold 4,000 shares of VeriSign stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.87, for a total value of $1,127,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 531,772 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $149,890,573.64. This trade represents a 0.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,002 shares of company stock worth $7,013,599. Insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of VeriSign from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen raised VeriSign from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 12th.

VeriSign Stock Up 0.3%

VRSN stock opened at $283.21 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $276.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $242.69. The firm has a market cap of $26.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.62 and a beta of 0.77. VeriSign, Inc. has a 12 month low of $172.49 and a 12 month high of $288.95.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The information services provider reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10. VeriSign had a net margin of 50.23% and a negative return on equity of 41.37%. The business had revenue of $402.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $400.44 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.92 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

VeriSign Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a — dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. VeriSign’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.65%.

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.