Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately positive: Fifteen research firms rate Verisk Analytics a consensus “Moderate Buy,” with an average 12-month price target of approximately $226.71.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Verisk reported adjusted EPS of $1.98 versus the $1.93 consensus estimate and revenue of $806.3 million, up 4.3% year over year.
• Shareholders will receive a dividend: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, or $2.00 annualized, representing a 1.1% yield and a 30.72% payout ratio.

Shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $226.7143.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Evercore set a $223.00 target price on Verisk Analytics in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $185.00 target price on Verisk Analytics and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Robert W. Baird set a $247.00 target price on Verisk Analytics in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Verisk Analytics from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th.

Verisk Analytics Trading Up 6.1%

VRSK opened at $187.03 on Tuesday. Verisk Analytics has a twelve month low of $155.94 and a twelve month high of $263.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.42. The company has a fifty day moving average of $190.12 and a 200-day moving average of $185.76. The stock has a market cap of $24.34 billion, a PE ratio of 28.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.66.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $806.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $804.02 million. Verisk Analytics had a net margin of 28.24% and a negative return on equity of 239.55%. Verisk Analytics's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.88 earnings per share. Verisk Analytics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.450-7.750 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Verisk Analytics will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.

Verisk Analytics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Verisk Analytics's payout ratio is currently 30.72%.

Insider Activity at Verisk Analytics

In other Verisk Analytics news, CEO Lee Shavel sold 3,535 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.43, for a total value of $683,775.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 98,490 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,050,920.70. This trade represents a 3.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kathy Beckles sold 2,020 shares of Verisk Analytics stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.49, for a total transaction of $394,889.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 11,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,251,262.84. This trade represents a 14.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 11,990 shares of company stock worth $2,396,828 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.52% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Verisk Analytics

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raiffeisen Bank International AG boosted its holdings in shares of Verisk Analytics by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 255,194 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $57,255,000 after acquiring an additional 40,885 shares during the period. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan raised its stake in shares of Verisk Analytics by 376.7% during the 4th quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 10,520 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,353,000 after purchasing an additional 8,313 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Verisk Analytics by 22.1% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 233,328 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $52,193,000 after purchasing an additional 42,295 shares during the period. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in Verisk Analytics during the 4th quarter worth about $3,569,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Verisk Analytics by 880.1% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 60,285 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $10,823,000 after purchasing an additional 54,134 shares during the period. 90.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verisk Analytics Company Profile

Verisk Analytics, Inc NASDAQ: VRSK, commonly known as Verisk, is a data analytics and technology company that helps organizations manage risk and make informed decisions. The company primarily serves the insurance industry, providing data, predictive analytics, software and decision-support tools for property and casualty insurers, life insurers and other risk-focused businesses.

Verisk's products and services support insurance underwriting, pricing, claims management, catastrophe modeling, fraud detection, actuarial analysis and regulatory compliance.

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