Insider Selling: VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) CEO Sells $1,010,790.00 in Stock

VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) CEO D. Bidzos sold 3,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.30, for a total value of $1,010,790.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 371,827 shares in the company, valued at $113,890,610.10. The trade was a 0.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

D James Bidzos also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, October 13th, D. Bidzos sold 3,300 shares of VeriSign stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.85, for a total transaction of $999,405.00.
• On Tuesday, October 6th, D. Bidzos sold 3,300 shares of VeriSign stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.33, for a total value of $964,689.00.
• On Tuesday, September 29th, D. Bidzos sold 3,300 shares of VeriSign stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.78, for a total transaction of $919,974.00.
• On Tuesday, September 22nd, D. Bidzos sold 3,300 shares of VeriSign stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.74, for a total value of $1,005,642.00.
• On Tuesday, September 15th, D. Bidzos sold 3,300 shares of VeriSign stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.58, for a total transaction of $978,714.00.
• On Tuesday, September 8th, D. Bidzos sold 3,300 shares of VeriSign stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.40, for a total value of $938,520.00.
• On Tuesday, September 1st, D. Bidzos sold 3,300 shares of VeriSign stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.09, for a total value of $960,597.00.
• On Tuesday, August 25th, D. Bidzos sold 3,300 shares of VeriSign stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.16, for a total value of $960,828.00.
• On Tuesday, August 18th, D. Bidzos sold 3,300 shares of VeriSign stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.85, for a total value of $916,905.00.
• On Tuesday, August 4th, D. Bidzos sold 3,300 shares of VeriSign stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.54, for a total value of $978,582.00.

VeriSign Stock Performance

VRSN stock opened at $300.32 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.29 and a beta of 0.69. VeriSign, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $208.86 and a fifty-two week high of $312.48. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $293.15 and a 200-day moving average of $283.58.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The information services provider reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.46 by ($0.11). VeriSign had a net margin of 49.06% and a negative return on equity of 38.74%. The company had revenue of $443.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $440.58 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.27 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that VeriSign, Inc. will post 9.59 EPS for the current year.

VeriSign Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 17th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 17th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. VeriSign’s payout ratio is presently 34.84%.

VeriSign News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting VeriSign this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue rose 5.7% year over year to $443 million, exceeding analyst expectations, while operating income increased to $296 million. Record domain registrations and the planned launch of the .web domain supported the company’s growth outlook. VeriSign Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Baird raised its VeriSign price target to $380 from $355 and maintained an Outperform rating, while Citigroup lifted its target to $345 from $325. The revisions signal continued analyst confidence in domain growth and the company’s long-term earnings potential. Baird Adjusts VeriSign Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: VeriSign reaffirmed full-year 2026 revenue guidance of approximately $1.8 billion, in line with consensus estimates. The company also approved a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, or $3.24 annually, yielding about 1.1%. VeriSign Updates 2026 Earnings Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly earnings per share missed consensus estimates despite year-over-year growth, creating the main source of selling pressure. Operating expenses also increased to $147 million from $135 million a year earlier, raising concerns about margin pressure. VeriSign Lags Q3 Earnings Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: CEO D. James Bidzos sold 3,300 shares for approximately $1.0 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Although the sale was scheduled, it adds a modest insider-selling signal after several similar transactions. VeriSign Insider Sale

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wedbush lifted their target price on VeriSign from $341.00 to $351.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of VeriSign from $325.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Zacks Research lowered shares of VeriSign from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Robert W. Baird set a $380.00 price target on shares of VeriSign in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised VeriSign from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On VeriSign

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRSN. Addison Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of VeriSign during the second quarter worth $30,000. PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in VeriSign in the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of VeriSign by 120.8% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 234 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of VeriSign by 40.5% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 243 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC acquired a new position in VeriSign in the 1st quarter valued at $64,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.90% of the company’s stock.

About VeriSign

VeriSign, Inc (NASDAQ: VRSN) provides internet infrastructure services that support the global domain name system. The company operates the authoritative registry for the .com and .net top-level domains and provides registry services for certain other domains, helping maintain the databases that connect domain names with internet addresses.

The company’s services include domain name registry operations, domain name registration-related support for accredited registrars, and infrastructure designed to improve the availability, stability, and security of internet naming services.