Investors Buy Large Volume of VeriSign Put Options (NASDAQ:VRSN)

VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) was the target of unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock traders acquired 10,805 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 1,256% compared to the average daily volume of 797 put options.

VeriSign Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of VRSN stock traded down $4.45 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $187.18. 560,502 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 662,838. VeriSign has a 1 year low of $167.04 and a 1 year high of $220.91. The stock has a market cap of $17.99 billion, a PE ratio of 21.77 and a beta of 0.91. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $184.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.70.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The information services provider reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.06. VeriSign had a negative return on equity of 45.59% and a net margin of 55.74%. The business had revenue of $390.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $390.19 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.83 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis.

Insider Transactions at VeriSign

In related news, EVP Thomas C. Indelicarto sold 1,228 shares of VeriSign stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.00, for a total value of $233,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 33,593 shares in the company, valued at $6,382,670. The trade was a 3.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On VeriSign

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VRSN. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of VeriSign by 291.1% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 176 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in VeriSign by 117.2% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 202 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in VeriSign in the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new stake in VeriSign in the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Concord Wealth Partners boosted its position in VeriSign by 93.2% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 226 shares of the information services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.90% of the company’s stock.

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.