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

Shares of Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSK) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $278.6429.

Several research firms have recently commented on VRSK. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Verisk Analytics to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Verisk Analytics from $315.00 to $239.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Verisk Analytics in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $220.00 target price (down previously from $280.00) on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Rothschild Redb lowered Verisk Analytics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th.

Verisk Analytics Trading Down 0.3%

VRSK opened at $218.57 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $223.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $260.95. The company has a market capitalization of $30.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.32, a PEG ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.81. Verisk Analytics has a 52 week low of $196.99 and a 52 week high of $322.92.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $768.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $776.04 million. Verisk Analytics had a return on equity of 425.42% and a net margin of 30.42%.The business’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. Verisk Analytics has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.800-7.000 EPS. Analysts forecast that Verisk Analytics will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Verisk Analytics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. Verisk Analytics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.44%.

Insider Transactions at Verisk Analytics

In other news, Director Jeffrey J. Dailey purchased 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $217.03 per share, with a total value of $108,515.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 3,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $859,872.86. This trade represents a 14.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gregory Hendrick purchased 500 shares of Verisk Analytics stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $216.14 per share, for a total transaction of $108,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,536 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $548,131.04. This represents a 24.56% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 1,450 shares of company stock worth $314,663 and have sold 2,000 shares worth $442,317. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Verisk Analytics in the third 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. purchased a new position in shares of Verisk Analytics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Verisk Analytics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in Verisk Analytics by 69.0% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 98 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 90.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verisk Analytics Company Profile

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.