JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) Stock

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised its price target on Verisk to $230 (from $220) and maintained an "overweight" rating, implying roughly a 24.7% upside from the prior close.
• Verisk beat Q1 estimates (EPS $1.82 vs. $1.76; revenue $782.6M), announced a $2.5B share buyback and a $0.50 quarterly dividend, but set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $7.45–$7.75 that is around or slightly below street expectations.
• The consensus analyst view is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $238.20, while the stock traded near $184.49 (52‑week range $161.70–$322.92), underscoring both potential upside and recent volatility.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the business services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price suggests a potential upside of 24.67% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on VRSK. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Verisk Analytics from $223.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Raymond James Financial upgraded Verisk Analytics from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $215.00 to $260.00 in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Verisk Analytics in a report on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group set a $224.00 target price on Verisk Analytics in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Verisk Analytics in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $205.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $238.20.

Verisk Analytics Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of VRSK traded down $3.70 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $184.49. 2,429,260 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,024,530. Verisk Analytics has a 52 week low of $161.70 and a 52 week high of $322.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.42, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.17 billion, a PE ratio of 28.43, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.82. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $190.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $207.42.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.06. Verisk Analytics had a return on equity of 357.00% and a net margin of 29.56%.The company had revenue of $782.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $771.33 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.73 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Verisk Analytics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.450-7.750 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Verisk Analytics will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verisk Analytics announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 18th that permits the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 10.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verisk Analytics news, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.57, for a total value of $68,628.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 19,984 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,428,654.88. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher John Perry acquired 1,000 shares of Verisk Analytics stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $180.00 per share, with a total value of $180,000.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $538,920. This trade represents a 50.15% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.52% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verisk Analytics

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Verisk Analytics in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.00% of the company's stock.

Key Verisk Analytics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Verisk Analytics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — Verisk reported $1.82 EPS vs. $1.76 expected and revenue of $782.6M (about +4% Y/Y), with higher margins and operating-leverage commentary that analysts highlighted as a driver of the beat. Verisk Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Company noted strong demand for analytics products used by insurers, which Reuters flagged as the main operational tailwind behind the quarter. Verisk beats first-quarter estimates on strong demand for its analytics
• Positive Sentiment: Board announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.50/share (yield ~1.1%), with record/ex-dividend timing set for June; supports income-focused holders and signals confidence in cash flow.
• Neutral Sentiment: Verisk posted its slides and earnings call transcript — useful for digging into segment performance, margin drivers and buyback/divestiture details for modeling. Verisk Analytics, Inc. 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Verisk sold its Marketing Solutions business (now rebranded InfutorData after acquisition by ActiveProspect/Five Elms). This trims non-core assets and may modestly simplify the story; financial impact depends on sale proceeds and any retained obligations. ActiveProspect Rebrands Verisk Marketing Solutions as InfutorData Following Acquisition
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance set to $7.45–$7.75; midpoint is slightly below street consensus (~7.61), which likely disappointed investors looking for upside from the stronger quarter.
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary raised concerns about a slowing growth profile and how AI-driven shifts may change Verisk’s long-term story — such narratives can pressure multiple re-rating even when near-term results beat. How The Verisk Analytics (VRSK) Investment Story Is Shifting With AI And Slower Growth Concerns

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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