Xponance Inc. Sells 339 Shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN)

Xponance Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,004 shares of the information services provider’s stock after selling 339 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in VeriSign were worth $2,484,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of VeriSign in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in VeriSign during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in VeriSign by 127.2% in 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 in the last quarter. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in shares of VeriSign in the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management raised its position in shares of VeriSign by 69.8% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 253 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. 92.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

VeriSign Price Performance

Shares of VRSN stock opened at $244.51 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $226.47 and a 200 day moving average of $202.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.13 billion, a PE ratio of 30.56 and a beta of 0.87. VeriSign, Inc. has a 1-year low of $167.05 and a 1-year high of $245.67.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The information services provider reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.00. VeriSign had a net margin of 50.47% and a negative return on equity of 43.01%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP John Calys sold 447 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.75, for a total transaction of $103,592.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 23,735 shares in the company, valued at $5,500,586.25. This represents a 1.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut VeriSign from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Baird R W upgraded VeriSign from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of VeriSign from $246.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of VeriSign from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th.

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.