VeriSign Inc. Form 144 notifies a proposed sale of 501 shares of common stock through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC with an aggregate market value of $132,514.50, an approximate sale date of 08/12/2025 and listing on NASDAQ. The filing reports total shares outstanding of 93,400,000.
The 501 shares to be sold were acquired as 134 performance shares on 02/13/2025 and 367 restricted stock on 02/15/2025. The filing also lists multiple sales by Thomas C. Indelicarto in the past three months, including sales of 501 shares on 08/05/2025, 07/08/2025, 07/01/2025, 06/10/2025, 06/03/2025 and 05/20/2025, and two partial sales on 05/27/2025 (258 and 243 shares), with gross proceeds reported for each sale in the filing.
Insider activity: Berkshire Hathaway Inc., classified as a 10% owner of VeriSign (VRSN), reported a sale of 4,300,000 common shares on 30 Jul 2025 at $282.15 per share (SEC Form 4).
- Post-transaction holdings: 8,989,880 shares remain indirectly owned.
- Main holder: Government Employees Insurance Company (8,016,933 shares); Berkshire pension plans collectively hold 972,947 shares.
- Warren E. Buffett signed on behalf of all filers and disclaims beneficial ownership beyond his pecuniary interest.
Berkshire has reduced but not exited its position and continues to exceed the 10% ownership threshold, yet the sizable disposal may be viewed as a negative signal for short-term sentiment.
VeriSign filed an 8-K announcing a secondary offering of 4.3 million VRSN shares at $285.00 per share. The shares are being sold entirely by Berkshire Hathaway-affiliated pension trusts—VeriSign will receive no proceeds, so there is no dilution or balance-sheet impact. J.P. Morgan Securities is sole underwriter; closing is scheduled for 30 Jul 2025.
The transaction is intended to reduce Berkshire Hathaway’s beneficial ownership below the 10 % regulatory threshold. Berkshire and its affiliates have agreed to a 365-day lock-up on their remaining holdings, limiting further near-term supply. The selling stockholders also granted the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to 515,032 additional shares (overallotment option).
Key takeaways for investors: (1) larger free float could improve liquidity, but (2) Berkshire’s partial exit may be interpreted as a sentiment change. VeriSign’s operations, cash flow and capital structure remain unchanged.
VeriSign (VRSN) Form 4: Director Courtney D. Armstrong reported the award of 879 restricted stock units (RSUs) on 07/21/2025. Each RSU converts into one share and vested 100% on the grant date; therefore the transaction code is "A" (acquisition) at a grant price of $0. After settlement, Armstrong, through The Armstrong Family Trust, now beneficially owns 6,047.775 VeriSign common shares. No derivative securities were involved and there was no open-market purchase or sale. The filing represents routine equity compensation for a board member and increases Armstrong’s stake by an immaterial amount relative to VeriSign’s total shares outstanding.