Latest news with #Verisign
Newsweek
29-07-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Warren Buffett Makes Major Sale
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate led by revered investor Warren Buffett, has sold roughly one-third of its stake in Verisign, a U.S.-based provider of domain name registry services and internet infrastructure. On Monday, Verisign made the announcement that Berkshire will be selling 4.3 million shares on Monday. In a subsequent release, the company said that these would be priced at $285 per share, meaning the transaction will generate over $1.2 billion for Berkshire while reducing its stake from 14.2 to under 10 percent. Why It Matters Berkshire began investing in Verisign in 2012, according to a prospectus submitted by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Since that time, the company's stock has risen nearly 700 percent, and Berkshire's sale is being touted as yet another example of its CEO's prescient investment skills. What To Know Verisign is a Virginia-based company best known for operating registries for top-level domains like .com and .net. In its most recent earnings results, the firm reported a 5.9-percent increase in revenue to $410 million in the second quarter. Verisign said that Berkshire may sell a further 515,032 shares—worth roughly $150 million at the $285 price point—and that it will receive no proceeds from the sale. The company added that the transaction is intended to reduce Berkshire's stake to under 10 percent, given this threshold "triggers additional regulatory obligations." Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO Warren Buffett during an interview in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 7, 2018. Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO Warren Buffett during an interview in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 7, 2018. Nati Harnik/AP Photo, File Buffett's company held nearly 13.3 million shares in Verisign as of late March, according to a filing in May with the SEC. Affiliates of Berkshire have been invested in the company since 2012, a year when the stock averaged around $41 and peaked at more than $49. Verisign, which now boasts a market capitalization of $28.6 billion, has since seen its share price rise to close at $305.98 on Monday, meaning the offer price represented a discount of around 7 percent. According to regulatory filings, Berkshire's portfolio comprises a blend including technology companies—primarily Apple—as well as those in the financial services, energy, automotive and food and drink sectors. What People Are Saying Adam Patti, CEO of VistaShares described Berkshire's portfolio as "really well-balanced portfolio chosen" to CNBC in April, and Buffett as "the most successful investor the world has ever seen." What Happens Next? Verisign shares fell sharply in overnight trading following the announcement, but are up nearly 50 percent in the year-to-date. Buffett is set to step down from his role as Berkshire's CEO at the end of the year, and announced that he would be handing over the reins to Greg Abel, vice-chair of non-insurance operations.
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Are VeriSign (VRSN) Shares Soaring Today
What Happened? Shares of domain name registry operator Verisign (NASDAQ:VRSN) jumped 6.5% in the afternoon session after the company reported strong second-quarter financial results that beat earnings expectations and demonstrated healthy revenue growth. The internet infrastructure provider posted revenue of $410 million, marking a 5.9% increase from the prior year's quarter. VeriSign's earnings per share came in at $2.21, slightly ahead of consensus estimates. The positive results were supported by solid operational metrics, including an improved domain renewal rate of 75.5% and an increase in its .com and .net domain name base. In a move signaling confidence, the company's board also authorized a substantial share repurchase plan. Following the impressive quarter, investment firm Baird raised its price target on the stock to $340. Is now the time to buy VeriSign? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. What Is The Market Telling Us VeriSign's shares are not very volatile and have only had 2 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today's move indicates the market considers this news meaningful, although it might not be something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business. VeriSign is up 49.4% since the beginning of the year, and at $306.48 per share, has set a new 52-week high. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of VeriSign's shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,461. Here at StockStory, we certainly understand the potential of thematic investing. Diverse winners from Microsoft (MSFT) to Alphabet (GOOG), Coca-Cola (KO) to Monster Beverage (MNST) could all have been identified as promising growth stories with a megatrend driving the growth. So, in that spirit, we've identified a relatively under-the-radar profitable growth stock benefiting from the rise of AI, available to you FREE via this link. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN) Reports Q2 In Line With Expectations
Domain name registry operator Verisign (NASDAQ:VRSN) met Wall Street's revenue expectations in Q2 CY2025, with sales up 5.9% year on year to $409.9 million. Its GAAP profit of $2.21 per share was 1.4% above analysts' consensus estimates. Is now the time to buy VeriSign? Find out in our full research report. VeriSign (VRSN) Q2 CY2025 Highlights: Revenue: $409.9 million vs analyst estimates of $411 million (5.9% year-on-year growth, in line) EPS (GAAP): $2.21 vs analyst estimates of $2.18 (1.4% beat) Operating Margin: 68.5%, in line with the same quarter last year Free Cash Flow Margin: 47.5%, down from 71% in the previous quarter Market Capitalization: $27.17 billion Company Overview While the company is not a domain registrar and does not directly sell domain names to end users, Verisign (NASDAQ:VRSN) operates and maintains the infrastructure to support domain names such as .com and .net. Revenue Growth Examining a company's long-term performance can provide clues about its quality. Even a bad business can shine for one or two quarters, but a top-tier one grows for years. Over the last three years, VeriSign grew its sales at a weak 5.2% compounded annual growth rate. This wasn't a great result compared to the rest of the software sector, but there are still things to like about VeriSign. This quarter, VeriSign grew its revenue by 5.9% year on year, and its $409.9 million of revenue was in line with Wall Street's estimates. Looking ahead, sell-side analysts expect revenue to grow 4% over the next 12 months, similar to its three-year rate. This projection is underwhelming and implies its products and services will see some demand headwinds. At least the company is tracking well in other measures of financial health. Today's young investors likely haven't read the timeless lessons in Gorilla Game: Picking Winners In High Technology because it was written more than 20 years ago when Microsoft and Apple were first establishing their supremacy. But if we apply the same principles, then enterprise software stocks leveraging their own generative AI capabilities may well be the Gorillas of the future. So, in that spirit, we are excited to present our Special Free Report on a profitable, fast-growing enterprise software stock that is already riding the automation wave and looking to catch the generative AI next. Customer Acquisition Efficiency The customer acquisition cost (CAC) payback period measures the months a company needs to recoup the money spent on acquiring a new customer. This metric helps assess how quickly a business can break even on its sales and marketing investments. VeriSign is very efficient at acquiring new customers, and its CAC payback period checked in at 25 months this quarter. The company's rapid recovery of its customer acquisition costs means it can attempt to spur growth by increasing its sales and marketing investments. Key Takeaways from VeriSign's Q2 Results Revenue was in line and EPS exceeded expectations by a small amount. Overall, this quarter didn't have too many surprises. The stock remained flat at $285 immediately after reporting. VeriSign underperformed this quarter, but does that create an opportunity to invest right now? The latest quarter does matter, but not nearly as much as longer-term fundamentals and valuation, when deciding if the stock is a buy. We cover that in our actionable full research report which you can read here, it's free. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DNIB.com Reports Internet Has 371.7 Million Domain Name Registrations at the End of the Second Quarter of 2025
RESTON, Va., July 24, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), a global provider of critical internet infrastructure and domain name registry services, today announced that, according to the latest Domain Name Industry Brief Quarterly Report from the second quarter of 2025 closed with 371.7 million domain name registrations across all top-level domains (TLDs), an increase of 3.3 million domain name registrations, or 0.9% compared to the first quarter of 2025. Domain name registrations also increased by 9.3 million, or 2.6%, year over year. The .com and .net TLDs had a combined total of 170.5 million domain name registrations in the domain name base at the end of the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 0.7 million domain name registrations, or 0.4% compared to the first quarter of 2025. The .com and .net TLDs had a combined decrease of 0.1 million domain name registrations, or 0.1%, year over year. As of June 30, 2025, the .com domain name base totaled 157.9 million domain name registrations and the .net domain name base totaled 12.6 million domain name registrations. New .com and .net domain name registrations totaled 10.4 million at the end of the second quarter of 2025, compared to 9.2 million domain name registrations at the end of the second quarter of 2024. Total country-code TLD (ccTLD) domain name registrations were 143.4 million at the end of the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 0.5 million domain name registrations, or 0.4% compared to the first quarter of 2025. ccTLDs increased by 3.5 million domain name registrations, or 2.5%, year over year. The top 10 ccTLDs, as of June 30, 2025, were .cn, .de, .uk, .ru, .nl, .br, .au, .fr, .in and .eu. Information about the statistical methodology used in creating the Domain Name Industry Brief Quarterly Report and dashboards is available here. About sponsored by Verisign, provides global statistical and analytical research and data on the domain name industry, plus analyses of key policy, security, and technology trends. The latest Domain Name Industry Brief Quarterly Report, previous reports, and interactive dashboards with expanded domain name industry data are all available at About Verisign Verisign (NASDAQ: VRSN), a global provider of critical internet infrastructure and domain name registry services, enables internet navigation for many of the world's most recognized domain names. Verisign helps enable the security, stability, and resiliency of the Domain Name System and the internet by providing root zone maintainer services, operating two of the 13 global internet root servers, and providing registration services and authoritative resolution for the .com and .net top-level domains, which support the majority of global e-commerce. To learn more please visit © 2025 VeriSign, Inc. All rights reserved. VERISIGN, the VERISIGN logo, Domain Name Industry Brief, and other trademarks, servicemarks, and designs are registered or unregistered trademarks of VeriSign, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and in foreign countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. View source version on Contacts Investor Relations: David Atchley, datchley@ + 1 703-948-3447Media Relations: Dave McGuire, davmcguire@ + 1 703-948-3800 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Wire
24-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
DNIB.com Reports Internet Has 371.7 Million Domain Name Registrations at the End of the Second Quarter of 2025
RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), a global provider of critical internet infrastructure and domain name registry services, today announced that, according to the latest Domain Name Industry Brief Quarterly Report from the second quarter of 2025 closed with 371.7 million domain name registrations across all top-level domains (TLDs), an increase of 3.3 million domain name registrations, or 0.9% compared to the first quarter of 2025. Domain name registrations also increased by 9.3 million, or 2.6%, year over year. The .com and .net TLDs had a combined total of 170.5 million domain name registrations in the domain name base at the end of the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 0.7 million domain name registrations, or 0.4% compared to the first quarter of 2025. The .com and .net TLDs had a combined decrease of 0.1 million domain name registrations, or 0.1%, year over year. As of June 30, 2025, the .com domain name base totaled 157.9 million domain name registrations and the .net domain name base totaled 12.6 million domain name registrations. New .com and .net domain name registrations totaled 10.4 million at the end of the second quarter of 2025, compared to 9.2 million domain name registrations at the end of the second quarter of 2024. Total country-code TLD (ccTLD) domain name registrations were 143.4 million at the end of the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 0.5 million domain name registrations, or 0.4% compared to the first quarter of 2025. ccTLDs increased by 3.5 million domain name registrations, or 2.5%, year over year. The top 10 ccTLDs, as of June 30, 2025, were .cn, .de, .uk, .ru, .nl, .br, .au, .fr, .in and .eu. Information about the statistical methodology used in creating the Domain Name Industry Brief Quarterly Report and dashboards is available here. About sponsored by Verisign, provides global statistical and analytical research and data on the domain name industry, plus analyses of key policy, security, and technology trends. The latest Domain Name Industry Brief Quarterly Report, previous reports, and interactive dashboards with expanded domain name industry data are all available at About Verisign Verisign (NASDAQ: VRSN), a global provider of critical internet infrastructure and domain name registry services, enables internet navigation for many of the world's most recognized domain names. Verisign helps enable the security, stability, and resiliency of the Domain Name System and the internet by providing root zone maintainer services, operating two of the 13 global internet root servers, and providing registration services and authoritative resolution for the .com and .net top-level domains, which support the majority of global e-commerce. To learn more please visit © 2025 VeriSign, Inc. All rights reserved. VERISIGN, the VERISIGN logo, Domain Name Industry Brief, and other trademarks, servicemarks, and designs are registered or unregistered trademarks of VeriSign, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and in foreign countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
