VeriSign (VRSN: sentiment, chart, options) also stepped into the earnings spotlight last night, posting a first-quarter loss of $18.6 million, or 9 cents per share, compared to its year-ago profit of $61.8 million, or 25 cents per share. Excluding one-time items, earnings would have been 21 cents per share on revenue of $354.3 million. The consensus estimate was for a profit of 19 cents per share on revenue of $261.2 million.

The shares are poised to gap roughly 3% higher this morning. The stock has been on the rise since hitting a low in April at $32.72, using the support of its ascending 10-day moving average. The stock is currently encountering resistance at the 38 level, which has capped the stock since December.

Meanwhile, options players are extremely skeptical of the shares. The Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio stands at 1.02, as put open interest outnumbers call open interest among near-term options. This reading is also higher than 86% of all those taken during the past 52 weeks. An unwinding of these bearish bets could provide the stock with a nice boost.