Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the eleven brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $306.9091.

VRSK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James Financial set a $315.00 price target on Verisk Analytics and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Verisk Analytics from $320.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Verisk Analytics from $320.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Verisk Analytics from $317.00 to $319.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Kathy Card Beckles sold 326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.86, for a total value of $98,080.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 9,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,803,714.34. The trade was a 3.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher John Perry acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $259.80 per share, with a total value of $259,800.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 1,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $460,625.40. This represents a 129.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 25,621 shares of company stock worth $7,574,943 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its stake in Verisk Analytics by 1.1% in the first quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 3,175 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $945,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Verisk Analytics by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 9,017 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,809,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. NBT Bank N A NY raised its stake in Verisk Analytics by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 341 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Tranquility Partners LLC lifted its position in Verisk Analytics by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Tranquility Partners LLC now owns 3,231 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,006,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Bennett Selby Investments LP lifted its position in Verisk Analytics by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Bennett Selby Investments LP now owns 1,208 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $359,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.00% of the company’s stock.

Verisk Analytics Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ VRSK opened at $270.05 on Friday. Verisk Analytics has a 52 week low of $259.01 and a 52 week high of $322.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $283.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $294.07. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $37.73 billion, a PE ratio of 41.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.86.

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

Verisk Analytics Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Verisk Analytics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.73%.

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.