<div id="readability-page-1"><p><span>VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN - Get Free Report)</span> was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a &#34;hold&#34; rating to a &#34;strong sell&#34; rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.</p><ul><li>Buffett Trims Apple, Bets Big on Alphabet Ahead of Retirement</li></ul><p>Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Citigroup  reiterated a &#34;buy&#34; rating on shares of VeriSign in a report on Friday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird  set a $325.00 price objective on VeriSign in a research report on Friday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. started coverage on shares of VeriSign in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. They issued a &#34;neutral&#34; rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings  restated a &#34;hold (c+)&#34; rating on shares of VeriSign in a report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one  has issued  a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average price target of $281.67.</p><p><b>Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on VeriSign</b></p><h2>VeriSign Stock Performance</h2><ul><li>Why These 3 Market-Beaters Are Backing Up Their Buyback Trucks</li></ul><p>NASDAQ:VRSN opened at $242.95 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $246.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $266.63. VeriSign has a one year low of $203.66 and a one year high of $310.60. The firm has a market cap of $22.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.32 and a beta of 0.78. </p><p>VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The information services provider reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.25 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $419.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $416.71 million. VeriSign had a net margin of 49.86% and a negative return on equity of 40.66%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.07 earnings per share. </p><h2>Insider Transactions at VeriSign</h2><ul><li>3 American Outperformers Are Lifting and Initiating Dividends</li></ul><p>In other news, CEO D James Bidzos sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.25, for a total transaction of $488,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 423,099 shares in the company, valued at $103,341,930.75. This represents a 0.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Thomas C. Indelicarto sold 501 shares of VeriSign stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.07, for a total transaction of $125,285.07. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,609 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,904,462.63. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 47,839 shares of company stock worth $12,042,404 in the last 90 days. Insiders own  0.84% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Institutional Investors Weigh In On VeriSign</h2><p>Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in  VeriSign in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000.  Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of  VeriSign by 56.5% in the second quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 97 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter.  Salomon &amp; Ludwin LLC raised its stake in shares of  VeriSign by 112.5% in the third quarter. Salomon &amp; Ludwin LLC now owns 102 shares of the information services provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter.  Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of  VeriSign during the third quarter worth about $29,000.  Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in  VeriSign in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 92.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. </p><h2>About VeriSign</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>VeriSign, Inc <span>NASDAQ: VRSN<span></span></span> is an internet infrastructure company that operates critical components of the global Domain Name System (DNS) and provides cybersecurity-related services. The company is best known as the authoritative registry operator for the .com and .net top-level domains, maintaining the central databases and zone files that enable domain name resolution for millions of websites. VeriSign's registry role is performed under contractual agreements with Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and involves high-availability, highly secure operations to support continuous internet connectivity.  </p><p>In addition to its registry business, VeriSign offers a suite of services designed to protect and accelerate DNS and internet traffic for enterprises and service providers.</p><h2>Further Reading</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than VeriSign</li><li>The Best $1 You'll Spend This Holiday Season</li><li>Holiday surprise: $1 gets you everything</li><li>America’s “most deplorable” Christmas sale</li><li>Market Panic: Trump Just Dropped a Bomb on Your Stocks</li><li>Your family's wealth expires in 2026?</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9VlJTTg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="600" height="385" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9VlJTTg"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in VeriSign Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider VeriSign, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and VeriSign wasn't on the list.</p><p>While VeriSign currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

VRSN

<p>Zacks Research downgraded VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) from a "hold" to a "strong sell" rating. Other analysts have mixed views, with Citigroup maintaining a "buy" rating and JPMorgan issuing a "neutral" rating with a $270 target price. VeriSign's stock opened at $242.95, with a market cap of $22.52 billion and a P/E ratio of 28.32. The company reported $2.27 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding estimates. Insider transactions show executives selling shares, and institutional investors have increased their stakes in the company.</p>

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) Cut to "Strong Sell" at Zacks Research