Confluence Investment Management LLC Buys New Holdings in Verisk Analytics, Inc. $VRSK

Key Points

• Confluence Investment Management acquired 100,427 shares of Verisk Analytics worth approximately $16.9 million, while institutional investors collectively own 90% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with an average price target of $226.71; targets range from $185 to $260.
• Verisk shares recently traded at $169.39, well below their 52-week high of $251.96. The company exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.50, yielding about 1.2%.

Confluence Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 100,427 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $16,857,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC owned about 0.08% of Verisk Analytics as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in VRSK. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in Verisk Analytics in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Verisk Analytics by 141.7% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 145 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Titan Wealth CI Ltd purchased a new stake in Verisk Analytics in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics in the second quarter worth about $36,000. 90.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on VRSK. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Verisk Analytics from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $185.00 target price on shares of Verisk Analytics and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Evercore set a $223.00 target price on shares of Verisk Analytics in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $247.00 price target on Verisk Analytics in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Verisk Analytics from $275.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $226.71.

Insider Transactions at Verisk Analytics

In related news, insider Kathy Beckles sold 2,020 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.49, for a total transaction of $394,889.80. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,251,262.84. This represents a 14.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Lee Shavel sold 3,535 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 98,490 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,050,920.70. This trade represents a 3.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,390 shares of company stock valued at $2,470,792. 0.52% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Verisk Analytics Price Performance

Shares of VRSK stock traded up $1.54 on Thursday, reaching $169.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 376,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,951,707. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $185.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $182.78. Verisk Analytics, Inc. has a 1 year low of $155.94 and a 1 year high of $251.96. The company has a market capitalization of $22.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.42.

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

Verisk Analytics Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Verisk Analytics's payout ratio is presently 30.72%.

About Verisk Analytics

Verisk Analytics, Inc is a data analytics and technology company that provides information, software and predictive insights primarily to the insurance industry. Its solutions help insurers assess risk, support underwriting, manage claims, detect fraud and improve pricing and operational decision-making across property and casualty, life and specialty insurance markets.

The company's offerings include industry data and standardized insurance information through its ISO business, catastrophe modeling and risk analytics through Extreme Event Solutions and AIR Worldwide, and property estimating and claims-management tools through Xactware.

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