Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) Stock Position Raised by Empower Advisory Group LLC

Key Points

• Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Verisk Analytics by 2.6%, owning 239,143 shares valued at approximately $71.17 million as of the end of the first quarter.
• Insiders, including CFO Elizabeth Mann and insider Kathy Card Beckles, sold shares recently, with sales totaling approximately $189,244 in July, which has decreased their ownership in the company.
• The company reported $1.88 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, with a revenue increase of 7.8% year-over-year.

Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK - Free Report) by 2.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 239,143 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 6,139 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Verisk Analytics worth $71,174,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in Verisk Analytics during the first quarter worth approximately $60,000. Clearstead Trust LLC increased its holdings in Verisk Analytics by 48.0% in the 1st quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 185 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its position in Verisk Analytics by 1.0% in the first quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 90,068 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,806,000 after purchasing an additional 866 shares during the period. Scotia Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of Verisk Analytics by 6.3% in the first quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 31,702 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $9,435,000 after buying an additional 1,887 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics in the first quarter valued at about $201,000. 90.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verisk Analytics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VRSK traded down $0.46 during trading on Thursday, hitting $264.52. 1,038,829 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,117,912. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.34. The business's fifty day moving average is $301.45 and its 200-day moving average is $296.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.76, a PEG ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.83. Verisk Analytics, Inc. has a one year low of $260.17 and a one year high of $322.92.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The business services provider reported $1.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $772.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $767.91 million. Verisk Analytics had a return on equity of 460.89% and a net margin of 30.67%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.74 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Verisk Analytics, Inc. will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verisk Analytics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Verisk Analytics's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verisk Analytics news, insider Kathy Card Beckles sold 326 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.86, for a total transaction of $98,080.36. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,803,714.34. This trade represents a 3.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.88, for a total transaction of $91,164.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 15,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,790,668.20. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,825 shares of company stock valued at $8,947,730. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VRSK shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Verisk Analytics from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $280.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lowered their target price on Verisk Analytics from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $315.00 price target (down previously from $325.00) on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research note on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Verisk Analytics from $317.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $305.60.

Verisk Analytics Profile

Verisk Analytics, Inc provides data analytics and technology solutions to the insurance markets in the United States and internationally. It offers policy language, prospective loss costs, policy writing and rating rules, and various underwriting solutions for risk selection and segmentation, pricing, and workflow optimization; property- and auto- specific rating and underwriting information solutions that allows clients to understand, quantify, underwrite, mitigate, and avoid potential loss for risks; catastrophe modeling solutions, which enables companies to identify, quantify, and plan for the financial consequences of catastrophes for use by insurers, reinsurers, intermediaries, financial institutions, and governments.