Junto Capital Management LP Makes New Investment in Verisk Analytics, Inc. $VRSK

Key Points

• Junto Capital Management initiated a Verisk Analytics position of 277,657 shares worth approximately $49.8 million, while institutional investors collectively own about 90% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $226.71. Verisk also exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.98 in EPS versus the $1.93 estimate.
• Verisk declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, equivalent to $2.00 annually and a 1.1% yield; meanwhile, company insiders sold nearly 12,000 shares worth approximately $2.4 million over the past 90 days.

Junto Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 277,657 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $49,848,000. Junto Capital Management LP owned 0.21% of Verisk Analytics as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VRSK. XXEC Inc. bought a new stake in Verisk Analytics during the second quarter worth about $992,675,000. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in Verisk Analytics by 17,108.0% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 39,835,732 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $7,151,709,000 after buying an additional 39,604,236 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Verisk Analytics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,852,678,000. Bamco Inc. NY acquired a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $844,259,000. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of Verisk Analytics by 1,200.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,264,323 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $730,196,000 after buying an additional 3,013,400 shares in the last quarter. 90.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on VRSK shares. Evercore set a $223.00 price target on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research report 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Verisk Analytics from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating 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, Weiss Ratings raised Verisk Analytics from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $226.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verisk Analytics news, CEO Lee Shavel sold 3,535 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.43, for a total value of $683,775.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 98,490 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,050,920.70. This represents a 3.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.95, for a total value of $71,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,308,200.80. This represents a 2.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 11,990 shares of company stock worth $2,396,828 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.52% of the company's stock.

Verisk Analytics Price Performance

VRSK stock opened at $177.99 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $23.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.42, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $190.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $185.87. Verisk Analytics, Inc. has a 1 year low of $155.94 and a 1 year high of $268.18.

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

Verisk Analytics Dividend Announcement

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

Verisk Analytics 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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