Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) Shares Gap Up Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $177.30, but opened at $194.42. Verisk Analytics shares last traded at $181.8390, with a volume of 1,179,979 shares traded.

The business services provider reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.24. Verisk Analytics had a return on equity of 425.42% and a net margin of 30.42%.The business had revenue of $778.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $773.74 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.61 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Verisk Analytics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.450-7.75 EPS.

Verisk Analytics Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. This is a positive change from Verisk Analytics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Verisk Analytics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.44%.

Verisk Analytics announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 18th that allows the company to buyback $2.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to purchase up to 10.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Verisk Analytics News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat estimates — Verisk reported $1.82 EPS vs. consensus ~ $1.58–$1.60 and revenue of ~$779M (up ~5–6% YoY); margins and EPS growth were highlighted on the call, driving strong investor reaction. Verisk quarterly profit beats estimates on steady data analytics demand
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase — Verisk raised its quarterly payout to $0.50 (an 11.1% increase), with an ex‑dividend/record schedule announced; this boosts yield and signals confidence in cash flow.
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic partnership — Verisk announced a data‑sharing collaboration with S&P Global Energy to deliver insurance‑adjusted climate risk intelligence, expanding product capability into climate/financial modeling areas. Verisk and S&P Global Energy Collaborate
• Neutral Sentiment: New analyst coverage — Bank of America initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and $205 price target, providing a modestly constructive third‑party view but not a catalyst to materially change consensus. Finviz (BofA initiation)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials / call available — The company released its press release, slide deck and call transcript useful for modeling FY‑2026 assumptions. Verisk press release / slide deck
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance came in slightly below consensus — management set EPS at $7.45–7.75 (consensus ~7.71) and revenue guidance near $3.2B vs. the Street ~ $3.3B; that moderation helps explain some investor caution despite the quarter’s beat. Verisk’s Q4 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates (Zacks)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Verisk Analytics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Verisk Analytics from $290.00 to $270.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. BMO Capital Markets raised Verisk Analytics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $233.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Bank of America started coverage on Verisk Analytics in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $205.00 target price for the company. Finally, Argus downgraded Verisk Analytics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Verisk Analytics presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $264.21.

Insider Activity at Verisk Analytics

In related news, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.54, for a total value of $65,862.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 14,265 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,131,738.10. The trade was a 2.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verisk Analytics

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VRSK. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new position in Verisk Analytics during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in Verisk Analytics during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Verisk Analytics during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verisk Analytics in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. 90.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verisk Analytics Trading Up 3.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.55, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.19. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $210.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $231.48. The firm has a market cap of $25.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.79.

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.