Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $9.39 Million Position in Verisk Analytics, Inc. $VRSK

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its Verisk Analytics stake by 61.2% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 41,991 shares valued at about $9.39 million.
• Verisk posted better-than-expected quarterly results, reporting EPS of $1.82 versus estimates of $1.76 and revenue of $782.6 million, up 4% year over year.
• The company approved a $2.5 billion share buyback and also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, payable June 30 for a 1.2% annualized yield.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lowered its position in Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK - Free Report) by 61.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,991 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 66,219 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Verisk Analytics were worth $9,393,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Verisk Analytics in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics during the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.00% of the company's stock.

Verisk Analytics Price Performance

NASDAQ:VRSK opened at $171.60 on Friday. Verisk Analytics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $155.94 and a 52 week high of $322.92. The firm has a market cap of $22.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.72. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $181.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $201.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.42, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.06. Verisk Analytics had a net margin of 29.34% and a negative return on equity of 2,405.75%. The business had revenue of $782.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $771.62 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.73 earnings per share. Verisk Analytics's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Verisk Analytics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.450-7.750 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Verisk Analytics, Inc. will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Verisk Analytics declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to purchase up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Verisk Analytics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Verisk Analytics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verisk Analytics news, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.22, for a total value of $63,688.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 19,584 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,118,164.48. This trade represents a 2.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,200 shares of company stock valued at $214,200. 0.52% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VRSK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Capital One Financial set a $224.00 target price on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 target price on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Verisk Analytics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, January 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Verisk Analytics from $223.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verisk Analytics currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $237.20.

About Verisk Analytics

Verisk Analytics, Inc NASDAQ: VRSK is a data analytics and decision‑support provider that helps organizations assess and manage risk. The company supplies data, predictive models and software to customers in insurance, reinsurance, financial services, government, energy and other commercial markets. Its offerings are designed to support underwriting, pricing, claims management, catastrophe modeling, fraud detection and regulatory compliance, enabling clients to make more informed operational and strategic decisions.

Verisk's product portfolio combines large proprietary datasets with analytics platforms and industry‑specific applications.

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