VeriSign, Inc. (VRSN) – What Are Analysts Saying About This Stock?

Shares of VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $348.00.

VRSN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded VeriSign from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of VeriSign from $308.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $380.00 price objective on shares of VeriSign in a research note on Friday. Wedbush upped their price target on shares of VeriSign from $341.00 to $351.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on VeriSign from $325.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Thomas C. Indelicarto sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $293.14, for a total transaction of $146,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,895 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,349,700.30. This trade represents a 1.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO D. Bidzos sold 3,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.30, for a total transaction of $1,010,790.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 371,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $113,890,610.10. This represents a 0.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 43,100 shares of company stock worth $12,574,391 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of VeriSign

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VRSN. Addison Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of VeriSign during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new position in VeriSign during the second quarter worth approximately $40,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in VeriSign by 120.8% in the 4th 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 period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in VeriSign by 40.5% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 243 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in VeriSign during the 1st quarter valued at $64,000. Institutional investors own 92.90% of the company’s stock.

VeriSign Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of VeriSign stock opened at $300.32 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $293.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $283.58. VeriSign has a twelve month low of $208.86 and a twelve month high of $312.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.29 and a beta of 0.69.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by ($0.11). VeriSign had a negative return on equity of 38.74% and a net margin of 49.06%. The business had revenue of $443.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $440.58 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.27 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that VeriSign will post 9.59 EPS for the current year.

VeriSign Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 17th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. VeriSign’s payout ratio is presently 34.84%.

Key Stories Impacting VeriSign

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

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.