Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) Upgraded by Seaport Res Ptn to Strong-Buy Rating

Key Points

• Verisk Analytics was upgraded to a "strong-buy" rating by Seaport Res Ptn, while its current consensus rating is "Moderate Buy" with a price target of $311.00.
• As of the latest trading session, Verisk Analytics shares traded at $248.65, with a market cap of $34.74 billion and a PE ratio of 38.38.
• In recent insider activity, Nicholas Daffan sold 5,420 shares of Verisk, reducing his position by 9.07%, indicating potential shifts in management confidence regarding the stock.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Seaport Res Ptn to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Verisk Analytics from $340.00 to $334.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Verisk Analytics in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lowered their price target on Verisk Analytics from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial set a $315.00 price target on Verisk Analytics and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Verisk Analytics from $317.00 to $319.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Verisk Analytics currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $311.00.

Verisk Analytics Stock Performance

VRSK stock traded down $0.90 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $248.65. The company had a trading volume of 61,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 947,391. The firm has a market cap of $34.74 billion, a PE ratio of 38.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.34. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $264.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $288.70. Verisk Analytics has a 1-year low of $239.83 and a 1-year high of $322.92.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The business services provider reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.77 by $0.11. Verisk Analytics had a return on equity of 460.89% and a net margin of 30.67%.The firm had revenue of $772.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $767.91 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.74 EPS. Verisk Analytics's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Verisk Analytics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.800-7.000 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Verisk Analytics will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Verisk Analytics news, insider Nicholas Daffan sold 5,420 shares of Verisk Analytics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.00, for a total transaction of $1,436,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 54,337 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,399,305. The trade was a 9.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 300 shares of Verisk Analytics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.72, for a total transaction of $76,416.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 15,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,862,828.80. The trade was a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,520 shares of company stock valued at $2,273,891. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Louisbourg Investments Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Verisk Analytics in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Verisk Analytics in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Verisk Analytics by 69.0% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 98 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.00% of the company's stock.

About Verisk Analytics

Verisk Analytics, Inc provides data analytics and technology solutions to the insurance markets in the United States and internationally. It offers policy language, prospective loss costs, policy writing and rating rules, and various underwriting solutions for risk selection and segmentation, pricing, and workflow optimization; property- and auto- specific rating and underwriting information solutions that allows clients to understand, quantify, underwrite, mitigate, and avoid potential loss for risks; catastrophe modeling solutions, which enables companies to identify, quantify, and plan for the financial consequences of catastrophes for use by insurers, reinsurers, intermediaries, financial institutions, and governments.

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