iA Global Asset Management Inc. Buys 27,212 Shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK)

Key Points

• iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Verisk Analytics by 101.2%, now holding 54,104 shares worth $16.1 million after purchasing an additional 27,212 shares in the first quarter.
• Verisk Analytics saw a net margin of 30.67% in its last quarterly earnings report, exceeding expectations with an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.88 against a forecast of $1.77.
• Several brokerage firms have issued fluctuating ratings and price targets for Verisk Analytics, with a consensus target price of $305.60 and a mix of "hold" and "buy" ratings among analysts.

iA Global Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK - Free Report) by 101.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 54,104 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 27,212 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Verisk Analytics were worth $16,102,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Louisbourg Investments Inc. purchased a new position in Verisk Analytics during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Global Financial Private Client LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verisk Analytics by 966.7% during the 1st quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 128 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics during the first quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Verisk Analytics by 186.7% during the first quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 172 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.00% of the company's stock.

Verisk Analytics Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ VRSK traded down $0.46 during trading hours 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's 50 day moving average price is $301.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $296.92. Verisk Analytics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $260.17 and a 12 month high of $322.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.34.

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

Verisk Analytics Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Kathy Card Beckles sold 326 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.86, for a total value of $98,080.36. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 9,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,803,714.34. This represents a 3.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO David J. Grover sold 5,705 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.68, for a total value of $1,755,314.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,937 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,980,456.16. This represents a 30.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 28,825 shares of company stock worth $8,947,730 over the last three months. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

About Verisk Analytics

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.