VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) Shares Purchased by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its holdings in VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) by 36.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 92,856 shares of the information services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,940 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in VeriSign were worth $18,998,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gries Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Gries Financial LLC now owns 1,620 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its position in shares of VeriSign by 38.5% during the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 62,988 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $13,036,000 after acquiring an additional 17,502 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,125 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $647,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden lifted its position in VeriSign by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 38,500 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $7,968,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC boosted its stake in VeriSign by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 1,429 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. 92.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at VeriSign

In related news, EVP Danny R. Mcpherson sold 2,092 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.43, for a total transaction of $402,563.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,157 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,033,391.51. This trade represents a 7.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

VeriSign Trading Up 0.1 %

VRSN stock opened at $214.01 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $200.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.76. The company has a market capitalization of $20.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.88 and a beta of 0.89. VeriSign, Inc. has a 52 week low of $167.04 and a 52 week high of $216.83.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VRSN has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of VeriSign from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup increased their price objective on VeriSign from $210.00 to $238.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Baird R W raised VeriSign from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised VeriSign from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock 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.