Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) Stock Gets Price Target Trim from Morgan Stanley

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) had its price objective cut by Morgan Stanley from $235.00 to $215.00 in a research note released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Verisk Analytics from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Verisk Analytics from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Verisk Analytics from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Verisk Analytics from $275.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $247.00 price objective on shares of Verisk Analytics in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.79.

Verisk Analytics Stock Up 3.7%

VRSK stock opened at $187.33 on Tuesday. Verisk Analytics has a 12 month low of $155.94 and a 12 month high of $242.10. The firm has a market cap of $24.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $179.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.95.

Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ:VRSK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.05. Verisk Analytics had a negative return on equity of 239.55% and a net margin of 28.24%. The company had revenue of $806.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $804.02 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.88 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Verisk Analytics has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.450-7.750 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Verisk Analytics will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.

Verisk Analytics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Verisk Analytics’s payout ratio is 30.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Kathy Beckles sold 2,020 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.49, for a total value of $394,889.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,251,262.84. This represents a 14.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Elizabeth Mann sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.91, for a total transaction of $73,964.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 17,984 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,325,421.44. The trade was a 2.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,925 shares of company stock valued at $3,074,216. Corporate insiders own 0.52% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Verisk Analytics

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VRSK. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in Verisk Analytics by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 3,921 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $658,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the period. CX Institutional increased its stake in shares of Verisk Analytics by 1,895.0% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 40,019 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,717,000 after buying an additional 38,013 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Verisk Analytics by 47.8% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 204 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Verisk Analytics during the 3rd quarter valued at $16,857,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Verisk Analytics by 297.6% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 65,071 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $11,682,000 after acquiring an additional 48,707 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.00% of the company’s stock.

About Verisk Analytics

Verisk Analytics, Inc is a data analytics and technology company that provides information, software and predictive insights primarily to the insurance industry. Its solutions help insurers assess risk, support underwriting, manage claims, detect fraud and improve pricing and operational decision-making across property and casualty, life and specialty insurance markets.

The company’s offerings include industry data and standardized insurance information through its ISO business, catastrophe modeling and risk analytics through Extreme Event Solutions and AIR Worldwide, and property estimating and claims-management tools through Xactware.