Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.08 EPS

Key Points

• Verisk reported Q1 EPS of $1.82, beating estimates by $0.08 with revenue of $782.6M, and issued FY2026 guidance of $7.45–7.75 EPS.
• Management emphasized accelerating AI-driven product innovation (notably Digital Media Forensics and aerial-imagery analytics) and prioritized capital return with a $1.5B accelerated share repurchase program, an 11% dividend increase, and ongoing buybacks.
• Near-term risks include lower weather-related activity, tougher year-ago renewal comps and a federal contract work stoppage that pressured transactional revenue, plus an approximately $0.11 EPS headwind from a divestiture and higher interest expense.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.08, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $782.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $771.33 million. Verisk Analytics had a net margin of 29.56% and a return on equity of 357.00%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.73 EPS. Verisk Analytics updated its FY 2026 guidance to 7.450-7.750 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Verisk Analytics' conference call:

• Verisk reported solid operating performance with organic constant currency revenue up 4.7%, subscription revenue up 7%, adjusted EBITDA growth of 5.9% and 60 bps of margin expansion, and management reaffirmed 2026 guidance.
• Management emphasized accelerating product innovation—notably AI-powered solutions like Digital Media Forensics and enhanced aerial-imagery property analytics—which have driven strong client adoption and a growing pipeline of AI trials and POCs.
• Near-term headwinds remain: lower weather-related activity, tougher year-ago renewal comps, and a federal contract work stoppage weighed on transactional revenues (down ~6.1% OCC) and contributed to Q1 being called a trough for growth.
• Capital return is a priority—Verisk initiated a $1.5B accelerated share repurchase, repurchased $126M in the quarter, raised the dividend 11%, and retired 7.6M shares, while leverage remains within target (~2.4x).
• Management expects gradual revenue improvement through the year, highlighted timing risks (tough H1 comps and an $0.11 EPS headwind from a divestiture) and flagged higher interest expense from recent debt issuances as a near-term pressure.

Verisk Analytics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VRSK traded up $10.68 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $187.34. The stock had a trading volume of 1,694,437 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,990,787. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $190.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $207.56. The stock has a market cap of $24.54 billion, a PE ratio of 28.88, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.82. Verisk Analytics has a 1-year low of $161.70 and a 1-year high of $322.92.

Verisk Analytics Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Verisk Analytics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Verisk Analytics's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on VRSK shares. Capital One Financial set a $224.00 target price on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Verisk Analytics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, January 25th. Robert W. Baird set a $230.00 price objective on Verisk Analytics in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Verisk Analytics from $260.00 to $220.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $237.20.

Key Verisk Analytics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings and revenue beat estimates — Verisk delivered EPS of $1.82 and revenue of $782.6M, both topping consensus and showing year-over-year revenue growth, which helps justify the stock's intraday strength. Verisk Analytics (VRSK) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Demand signal from customers — Reuters highlights strong demand for Verisk’s insurance-focused analytics as a driver of the upside, supporting revenue resilience in the core business. Verisk beats first-quarter estimates on strong demand for its analytics
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 guidance roughly in line with expectations — Management set EPS guidance of $7.45–7.75 (consensus ~7.61). Guidance is not a clear beat and will keep investors focused on execution versus growth concerns. Verisk Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Portfolio simplification — Verisk sold its Verisk Marketing Solutions business (now rebranded InfutorData after the ActiveProspect acquisition). That divestiture focuses Verisk on its insurance/analytics core but reduces diversification. ActiveProspect Rebrands Verisk Marketing Solutions as InfutorData Following Acquisition
• Negative Sentiment: Longer-term growth concerns and AI transition risk — Commentary and analysis (Yahoo Finance) suggest Verisk’s investment story is shifting amid AI opportunities but with investor worries about slower organic growth, which could cap multiple expansion. How The Verisk Analytics (VRSK) Investment Story Is Shifting With AI And Slower Growth Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Recent relative underperformance — MarketWatch flagged that Verisk recently underperformed peers, a reminder that even with a beat the stock faces competitive and sentiment headwinds. Verisk Analytics Inc. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Christopher John Perry purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $180.00 per share, with a total value of $180,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $538,920. The trade was a 50.15% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 19,984 shares in the company, valued at $3,428,654.88. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.52% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verisk Analytics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verisk Analytics by 334.5% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 754,548 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $188,237,000 after buying an additional 580,885 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in Verisk Analytics by 114.3% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 987,011 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $248,243,000 after acquiring an additional 526,508 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its position in Verisk Analytics by 115.4% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 874,918 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $220,051,000 after acquiring an additional 468,782 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Verisk Analytics by 172.8% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 635,945 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $159,947,000 after acquiring an additional 402,811 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Verisk Analytics by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,914,224 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $875,574,000 after acquiring an additional 362,050 shares during the last quarter. 90.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verisk Analytics Company Profile

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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