Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $39.79 Million Holdings in Verisk Analytics, Inc. $VRSK

Key Points

• Russell Investments increased its stake in Verisk by 17.4% to 158,254 shares worth about $39.79 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 90% of the company's stock.
• Verisk beat Q results with earnings of $1.82 per share (vs. $1.60 est.) and revenue of $778.8M, and set FY2026 guidance of $7.45–$7.75 EPS (analysts average ~6.63 EPS for the current year).
• The board approved a $2.50 billion share buyback (up to 10.1% of shares) and raised the quarterly dividend to $0.50 ($2.00 annualized, ~1.0% yield).

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK - Free Report) by 17.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 158,254 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 23,507 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.11% of Verisk Analytics worth $39,788,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jensen Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Verisk Analytics by 50.7% during the third quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 424,645 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $106,802,000 after acquiring an additional 142,911 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Verisk Analytics by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,196,460 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $300,931,000 after purchasing an additional 73,026 shares in the last quarter. Allstate Corp bought a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics in the 3rd quarter worth $1,256,000. ING Groep NV grew its position in Verisk Analytics by 278.4% in the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 87,082 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $21,902,000 after purchasing an additional 64,066 shares during the period. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC grew its position in Verisk Analytics by 77.0% in the 3rd quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 59,083 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $14,860,000 after purchasing an additional 25,712 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.00% of the company's stock.

Verisk Analytics Trading Up 0.2%

NASDAQ VRSK opened at $203.13 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.42. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $205.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $224.68. Verisk Analytics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $164.60 and a 12 month high of $322.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.30, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.81.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.60 by $0.22. Verisk Analytics had a net margin of 29.56% and a return on equity of 357.00%. The firm had revenue of $778.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $773.74 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Verisk Analytics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.450-7.75 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Verisk Analytics, Inc. will post 6.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verisk Analytics announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 18th that allows the company to buyback $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to repurchase up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Verisk Analytics Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Verisk Analytics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Verisk Analytics's payout ratio is currently 30.82%.

Insider Transactions at Verisk Analytics

In other news, Director Christopher John Perry acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $180.00 per share, for a total transaction of $180,000.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $538,920. This represents a 50.15% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 300 shares of Verisk Analytics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.54, for a total transaction of $65,862.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,265 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,131,738.10. This represents a 2.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on VRSK shares. Capital One Financial set a $224.00 price objective on shares of Verisk Analytics in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Verisk Analytics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, January 25th. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Verisk Analytics in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, UBS Group set a $224.00 price target on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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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