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

Shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the nine ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $293.11.

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Verisk Analytics from $285.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Verisk Analytics from $283.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays downgraded Verisk Analytics from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $310.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and set a $279.00 price objective on shares of Verisk Analytics in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd.

Insider Transactions at Verisk Analytics

In other news, insider Kathy Card Beckles sold 2,111 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $282.06, for a total transaction of $595,428.66. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,066 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,557,155.96. The trade was a 18.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bruce Edward Hansen sold 1,179 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.81, for a total transaction of $321,642.99. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,786 shares in the company, valued at $3,760,958.66. This trade represents a 7.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,490 shares of company stock worth $1,541,570. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verisk Analytics

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VRSK. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verisk Analytics by 217.1% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 22,126 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,049,000 after acquiring an additional 15,149 shares during the period. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc lifted its holdings in Verisk Analytics by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 11,573 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,188,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC boosted its position in Verisk Analytics by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 13,979 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,850,000 after buying an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. Index Fund Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Verisk Analytics during the fourth quarter worth about $205,000. Finally, Summit Trail Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verisk Analytics by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 1,071 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. 90.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verisk Analytics Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:VRSK opened at $282.59 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $281.60 and its 200 day moving average is $275.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.36, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Verisk Analytics has a 1 year low of $217.34 and a 1 year high of $296.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.88.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The business services provider reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $725.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $722.19 million. Verisk Analytics had a net margin of 32.65% and a return on equity of 274.13%. Verisk Analytics’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.52 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Verisk Analytics will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verisk Analytics Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. Verisk Analytics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.34%.

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.