Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Verisk Analytics, Inc. $VRSK

Key Points

• Verdence Capital Advisors acquired 5,272 Verisk Analytics shares worth approximately $885,000 in the third quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own about 90% of the company.
• Verisk’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $1.98 versus the $1.93 consensus estimate and revenue of $806.3 million, up 4.3% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $224.79, although some firms recently lowered their targets. The stock opened at $190.71, while company insiders have sold 11,805 shares worth about $2.2 million over the past 90 days.

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 5,272 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $885,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Verisk Analytics by 14.0% in the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 497 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Verisk Analytics by 47.8% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 204 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Verisk Analytics by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,647 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,220,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Verisk Analytics by 6.8% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,239 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $235,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Koshinski Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Verisk Analytics by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,662 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,074,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. 90.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verisk Analytics news, CEO Lee Shavel sold 3,535 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.43, for a total transaction of $683,775.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 98,490 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,050,920.70. The trade was a 3.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.85, for a total transaction of $73,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 17,584 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,250,402.40. The trade was a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,805 shares of company stock valued at $2,203,266. 0.52% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Verisk Analytics Trading Up 0.5%

Verisk Analytics stock opened at $190.71 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $181.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $186.95. Verisk Analytics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $155.94 and a 1-year high of $227.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.69.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.05. Verisk Analytics had a negative return on equity of 239.55% and a net margin of 28.24%. The business had revenue of $806.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $804.02 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.88 EPS. Verisk Analytics's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Verisk Analytics, Inc. will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on VRSK. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Verisk Analytics from $248.00 to $217.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Verisk Analytics from $235.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Verisk Analytics in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Robert W. Baird set a $247.00 price objective on Verisk Analytics in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Verisk Analytics from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $224.79.

Verisk Analytics Company Profile

Verisk Analytics, Inc NASDAQ: VRSK, doing business as Verisk, is a global data analytics and technology company serving the insurance industry and other risk-focused markets. Its platforms help organizations use data, statistical models and workflow tools to evaluate risk, make decisions and improve operational efficiency.

Verisk's insurance offerings support underwriting, pricing, claims management, fraud detection, catastrophe modeling and regulatory compliance. Its products include industry data, predictive analytics, property and casualty risk solutions, claims-estimating tools and information used by insurers to assess property, vehicles, businesses and other exposures.

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