Nuveen LLC Invests $508.61 Million in Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK)

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC invested approximately $508.61 million in Verisk Analytics by acquiring 1,708,926 shares, representing a 1.22% ownership stake in the company.
• In recent insider trading, CFO Elizabeth Mann and another insider sold a combined total of 23,120 shares over the past three months, reflecting a notable decrease in their stock ownership.
• Verisk Analytics has reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $1.88, exceeding analyst expectations and demonstrating a 7.8% revenue growth year-over-year.

Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,708,926 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $508,611,000. Nuveen LLC owned about 1.22% of Verisk Analytics at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Verisk Analytics from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Verisk Analytics from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Verisk Analytics from $317.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $315.00 target price on Verisk Analytics and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $305.60.

Verisk Analytics Stock Up 1.3%

NASDAQ:VRSK traded up $3.51 on Thursday, reaching $267.70. The stock had a trading volume of 1,452,419 shares, compared to its average volume of 904,295. Verisk Analytics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $259.01 and a 12-month high of $322.92. The stock has a market cap of $37.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.68 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. The company has a 50-day moving average of $297.17 and a 200 day moving average of $296.51.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The business services provider reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $772.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $767.91 million. Verisk Analytics had a return on equity of 460.89% and a net margin of 30.67%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.74 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Verisk Analytics, Inc. will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Verisk Analytics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verisk Analytics

In other Verisk Analytics news, insider Kathy Card Beckles sold 326 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 trade represents a 3.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 300 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 15,765 shares in the company, valued at $4,790,668.20. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 23,120 shares of company stock valued at $7,192,416. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

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.