Verisign, Inc. (VRSN, Financial) oversees domain registrations for many of the most common Internet address suffixes, including .com and .net. Its shares gained after reporting better-than-expected financial results, which exceeded expectations of both revenues and profit margins. In addition, the company is poised to introduce a new series of domain names for international markets that we believe should generate a highly-profitable revenue stream. We believe that Verisign’s exclusive contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a key regulatory body overseeing the operations of the Internet, creates a substantial barrier for competitors. In uncertain markets, stocks with stable businesses and highly-visible revenues tend to outperform, although past performance is no guarantee of future performance.
From the Baron Asset Fund shareholder letter Q3 2015 by Andrew Peck.
