Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) Reaches New 1-Year Low - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Verisk Analytics shares hit a new 52-week low during Wednesday trading, falling to as low as $161.60 as investors pushed the stock well below its recent close of $166.32.
• Despite the weakness, analysts remain mixed but generally constructive: the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” with an average target price of $238.20, while several firms recently raised their price targets and ratings.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results with $1.82 EPS and $782.6 million in revenue, and it also announced a $2.50 billion share buyback plus a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share.

Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $161.60 and last traded at $160.6870, with a volume of 264809 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $166.32.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VRSK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Verisk Analytics from $223.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Raymond James Financial upgraded Verisk Analytics from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $215.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Capital One Financial set a $224.00 target price on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Verisk Analytics from $239.00 to $206.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $238.20.

Verisk Analytics Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $21.12 billion, a PE ratio of 24.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $187.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $204.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.42, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $782.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $771.62 million. Verisk Analytics had a negative return on equity of 2,405.75% and a net margin of 29.34%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.73 EPS. Verisk Analytics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.450-7.750 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Verisk Analytics, Inc. will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

Verisk Analytics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Verisk Analytics's payout ratio is currently 30.44%.

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

Insider Activity at Verisk Analytics

In related news, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 400 shares of the 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,428,654.88. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Christopher John Perry bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $180.00 per share, for a total transaction of $180,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,994 shares in the company, 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. 0.52% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Verisk Analytics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verisk Analytics by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,232 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,259,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in Verisk Analytics by 39.6% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 11,931 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,551,000 after purchasing an additional 3,385 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Verisk Analytics by 114.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 253 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in Verisk Analytics by 52.2% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 135,876 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $42,325,000 after purchasing an additional 46,603 shares during the period. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Verisk Analytics in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.00% of the company's stock.

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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